


Nelson McNot-Smooth-At-All

by Legs (InsanityRule)



Series: Time Travel AU [1]
Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: I swear it's not just Back to the Future, M/M, Time Travel AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-04-27 06:57:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5038285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsanityRule/pseuds/Legs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nelson finds himself back twenty four years with no idea why, or how, or when he's going to get back, and he finds himself missing a lot of the technology (and people) back in 2015.</p><p>"It’s probably weird to take notes during a fictional movie, but Nelson does not want to forget anything.</p><p>Don’t leave anything behind.<br/>Don’t drastically change an event’s outcome.<br/>Don’t have sex with your mom.<br/>Don’t die."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been live-writing this, it's getting horrendously long already, and I thought it was time to share some of it with the world.

Nelson wakes up slowly, eyes still gummy and vision blurred from sleep. The room’s a bit colder than he normally likes, and there’s not near enough blankets on the bed. Nelson yawns and stretches before rolling up in the blankets and facing Gavin. His back is to Nelson, shoulders still rising and falling evenly, obviously still asleep.

On a normal work day Nelson’s just starting to wake up about two hours into the start of Gavin’s day. He’s pretty sure it’s Friday, no, Wednesday. Tuesday? It’s a weekday, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense to see Gavin still in bed, but Nelson accepts the tiny gift the universe gave him this morning. He scoots closer to Gavin and wraps an arm around his waist, only to get knocked back when Gavin startles and sits up.

“Woah sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Why are you here?” Nelson rolls onto his back and wipes his eyes. He blinks away sleep until Gavin is more or less in focus. “Well?”

“Why wouldn’t I be here?”

Gavin looks at Nelson like he suggested they streak across the Hooli campus. Okay that’s definitely not normal. Last time Nelson checked they’re living together, getting married, things that make waking up in bed together a normal occurrence. But Gavin is thoroughly confused based on the look he’s giving Nelson, and the more Nelson looks around the more things aren’t adding up.

Since when does Gavin have an earring?

There’s more than a few things wrong with the room. There’s no Buddha near the balcony door, no balcony at all, and the gray Rothko is missing. And another thing, way too small. The bedroom at the mansion is at least three times this size. Are they in a guest room? No that’s stupid why the hell would they sleep anywhere but the master bedroom? 

Nelson looks back at Gavin and has to hold in a confused whine. Why the hell is Gavin blond? He looks like a Backstreet boy. Nelson sits up and finds his glasses on the bedside table. He slips them on and yeah, things are not looking familiar at all. “What the hell is that?”

“A Warhol original,” Gavin sneers. What the hell is this posh 50s prep accent? Nelson gives the Campbell's soup can another look. He doesn’t get it, unless the point is to make him hungry.

Wait a second since when does Gavin snap at him?

“You feeling okay this morning?”

“I’m beginning to regret last night,” they watched Reservoir Dogs again and fell asleep at nine, “because apparently I found the one person in California that doesn’t understand hook ups.”

“Uh…” Nelson looks down at his bare chest. He doesn’t remember falling asleep naked. “What?”

“Look, you can’t stay here. Just get dressed and get the hell out of here,” Gavin swings his legs to the side and Nelson watches him slip into a robe and disappear through a door. He can hear a shower start running.

“Hook up?”

-

Nelson gets dressed in a daze. So Gavin has an earring, blond hair, is kicking him out of their house (Or not their house the jury’s still out on that part.) there’s a stupid soup can on the wall instead of the nice, relaxing Rothko, and holy fuck what is that computer.

He abandons putting on a shirt in favor of walking across the room to a very old computer monitor. There’s a dining room chair in front of it, maybe the desk chair, and Nelson sits down and stares at the computer. Jesus it’s like those shitty computers the elementary school library refused to get rid of until they literally started falling apart. He still has the home key from one of the keyboards somewhere.

But this one looks new, or at least very, very well cared for. Only Gavin would never keep a hunk of junk old piece of tech out in the open, this kind of dinosaur belongs in a tech museum. Hell Nelson’s pretty sure no one’s broken the floppy drive or rearranged the keys on the keyboard or anything like that.

“What the hell are you doing? I told you to get out of here.”

“Why do you have this?” Nelson turns in the chair to face Gavin and points with his thumb to the computer. “It’s ancient.”

“That is the newest model. Most of the general public hasn’t even _seen_ it yet.” There’s that familiar ‘God you’re an idiot’ look Nelson’s used to getting in the mornings. Except this is, in fact, an ancient computer, so it seems kind of unnecessary.

“Dude this thing is from like, the nineties.”

“What the hell year do you think it is?”

Okay that is not an encouraging question. Nelson turns back to the computer and turns it on. Gavin strides over, he can hear the heavy footfalls, and mutters “hey that’s, don’t just,” he makes an agonized noise, “there’s personal things on there you can’t just-”

“Shh!” Nelson puts out a hand and paps Gavin on the torso. Jesus that doesn’t feel right. Nelson turns and, yeah, that is definitely a peck. A pretty impressive pec- focus. Today is not the day.

Apparently today is also not the day he expected.

The little 1991 is just staring at him, two dumb curly-q eyes with middle fingers up and blazing, and a lot of things slide into place. Stupid nineties boy band haircut, pecks, an earring that Gavin apparently has but hasn’t worn in decades, that stupid Warhol painting/poster/whatever it is, this fucking computer, and apparently Gavin’s into hook ups.

“Ho-ly. Shit.”

It would be rather poetic if he passed out right about now but the universe isn’t feeling generous.

The part of his brain that should never be in charge of anything ever is kind of pleased that this young Gavin chose him as a hook up partner but there’s a reason that little section never gets to call the shots unless Nelson is very, very drunk. Nelson stands up from the computer and takes some time to really absorb what he’s seeing, and do some very important mental math.

Well he tried but that’s way too hard in the morning. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-four,” Gavin leans over and shuts the computer down, “and I already told you to get out of here.”

Fuck he’s older than Gavin. Oh that is doing things to him that should not be priority right now.

“Look, I need to get going to work, and you need to not be anywhere near here in the next twenty minutes.”

Okay so kissing Gavin when he’s saying things Nelson doesn’t want to hear has worked before maybe it’ll work again. Nelson starts kissing this young Gavin and hey, he’s not pushing him away, but it only lasts for about a minute before Gavin makes him stop.

“I have to work. You have to leave.”

“Fine, fine,” Nelson picks up his shirt and pulls it over his head. The three quarter sleeve one, he’s fond of the fabric and it makes him look like he’s not completely scrawny. Gavin has that look going on, the one he reserves for annoying conversations and heartburn. “What.”

“Why is your shirt so tight?”

Nelson looks down. It’s comfortable and form fitted. Tight seems a bit extreme. “It’s fitted.”

“Is that a women’s shirt?”

Nelson hopes he looks as offended as he feels. “It’s _my_ shirt! I’m a guy! It probably says ‘men's’ somewhere on the tag give me like, ten seconds,” he pulls his shirt off and looks over the tags. “Okay well, it doesn’t but it’s not a women’s shirt.”

“Right,” wipe that goddamned smirk off your face, “you were just leaving? Preferably with ah, your shirt on.”

Gavin is going to catch _Hell_ when Nelson gets home.

-

He’s made it to the front door and almost home free when he hears a small cough. “Peter?”

Nelson freezes for a moment, he can feel his heart rate skyrocket. So much for not being seen. He turns around and finds a woman standing in the foyer, dressed like she’s about to leave for the office or some sort of fancy dinner. “Oh, you’re not Peter.”

“Um, nope. Nelson.” Why did he use his real name? “Hi.”

“Are you a friend of Gavin’s?”

Who is this woman? Nelson answers, hoping she’ll enlighten him, “uh, yeah.”

“He’ll probably insist you refer to me as Mrs. Belson,” oh shit this is Gavin’s mom.

“Right, hi,” he shakes her hand. _I have sex with your son in the future. A lot._ “Look uh, I should get going but-”

“Come back anytime.”

“Yeah maybe.”

 _Oh my god._ Nelson quietly opens the door and has to resist every urge to sprint down the driveway.

-

There’s a lot on Nelson’s mind right now; how he got to 1991, why he’s here, how he’s going to get back, but first and foremost, he is starving and thinking hard is not something he can do on an empty stomach. He gets out his wallet and starts looking for an ATM.

And immediately he sees the problem with this because right now his account is about twenty years in the future. He currently has a twenty dollar bill in his wallet and a couple quarters shoved into one of the card slots. Fantastic.

Okay, this isn’t that bad. There’s still the internet. Nelson pulls out his phone and nearly spikes it against the pavement. He has never felt this frustrated in his entire life. Of course that won’t work his cell service doesn’t exist here yet. His phone is about as useful as a damn calculator right now.

Okay, time to get a clear inventory here. He has clothes, his wallet, twenty dollars in cash, glasses (always good to be able to see), and a scrap of paper he just found in his pocket. And to think he’s rich in the present. He unfolds the scrap of paper to determine if he can just toss it in the trash.

“Seven days,” well that’s creepy as fuck. “This isn’t my handwriting.”

He stashes the note in his wallet by his twenty and starts brainstorming.

Alright, so his family lives in Tulsa; shit is family is in Tulsa he cannot go to that state. Okay, Oklahoma is off limits, that’s fine. He’s in California. Currently the only person he knows in this state is a complete ass and a couple years younger than him. He knows where Gavin lives, or his family lives, something like that. And he can relax a bit knowing he can’t accidentally become his own father, since he’s already three years old.

This is some messed up Back to the Future shit right here.

He has forgotten most of that movie.

Nelson takes the time to “borrow” a bike he found at a bike rack (Sorry other kid, but this is important research.) and bike down to where the video rental place is in what he is referring to as present Palo Alto, rather than shitty past Palo Alto that has a stupid hairdresser in the same spot fuck everything.

Okay, this is fine, he can figure this out. He just has to look around and -oh, right. Blockbusters’ sign is stupidly large and obnoxious. Sweet. He follows the sidewalk in a zig zag until he’s at the front of the store. Since he already took the bike he doesn’t bother to lock it up; it would probably be a good idea to ditch it now anyway. Getting arrested in 1991 sure would be awkward.

Nelson forgoes searching the store like an idiot and asks the clerk, “do you have Back to the Future?”

“Over by the Sci-Fi,” she pops her gum and continues looking at a magazine. “It’s alphabetical.”

“Thanks,” Nelson has a bit of a time shock when he remembers everything is a VHS tape, but recovers quickly and finds the movie. Now he just needs a VCR, and right now he has zero ideas that aren’t ‘break into someone’s home’ and that is not something he’s going to do today.

Well he’s down two quarters but if he’s going to not mess up the past he needs advice he can shove into his brain in less than two hours. He ‘forgets’ to grab the bike and starts walking in a random direction. New priority, where can he watch a movie for free?

Also he is starving but he doesn’t want to spend his money yet, but he is so tempted to just blow all his money on a giant breakfast. Or maybe a smaller breakfast and a bunch of donuts he can eat later. Or maybe-

Or maybe he can figure out where Gavin is and make him pay for breakfast. How did people find each other before smartphones?

-

Nelson doesn’t have walk far before finding a payphone. He forgot they were actually useful back in the day. He’s all ready to call Gavin up, when he remembers the only phone number he has memorized for Gavin is his cellphone, which is almost certainly not set up yet. Still, it doesn’t cost anything before dialing, so Nelson gives it a shot.

The horrible, annoying tone ‘ble de de’ of a dead number is not encouraging or helpful. And someone jacked the phone book from this booth if the empty slot under the phone is where one normally belongs. He does, however, see an advertisement for the library, and if Nelson is correct they should have a computer. Nelson pulls out his phone and uses the notepad (Finally something is phone is useful for.) and types the address down. He’s going to get lost, it’s a given, but at least he’ll know his destination.

As it turns out the library was around the corner. Nelson walked at least a mile before he found it but he didn’t have to ask for help at least. It’s a Tuesday, apparently, and the main room is completely empty except for a librarian standing behind a desk.

“Hi, can I use your computer?”

“What computer?”

Fuck. “Uh, never mind um,” he drums his fingers on the counter. “Say do you have a phone book?”

“Yes, it’s back by the payphone, next to the restrooms.” The librarian points at a small doorway between two shelves.

“Cool,” Nelson quickly, but quietly, walks back to the payphone and grabs the phone book. And he has no idea what he’s doing. It isn’t connected to anything, so he grabs it and brings it up to the front. “Say can you help?’

“What do you need?”

“Address, a business.”

“Turn to the yellow pages,” Nelson does. “Find the name.”

Well now he feels like an idiot. Nelson mutters a thank you and looks at the floor as he scurries back to the payphone. His face and neck are both warm, and probably beet red. He misses his smartphone so much right now.

Nelson doesn’t have a hard time finding a giant ad for Hooli near the front of the yellow pages. Right, Gavin spent at least ten minutes explaining that Hooli’s practically an institution here in Silicon Valley, a long standing blah blah blah. Nelson stopped listening about partway through. He doesn’t remember what the address was before but the numbers feel familiar. Maybe it’s the same area.

It’s nearly lunchtime by the time Nelson figures out where he’s going, aggravates an entire bus full of people when he doesn’t have change, breaks down and gets a single candy bar so he can pay for the bus to go to Hooli, and rides the bus all the way to the Hooli campus. He really hopes this past Hooli has a cafeteria he can graze at because he’s not going to make it if he doesn’t get a big, full meal soon.

There’s no crazy security cards, no giant buildings spanning the area, Hooli of 1991 is a modest looking office building in an area that’s mostly underdeveloped lots with a bunch of weeds. But Gavin is only twenty-four, so maybe this is impressive in its own light. Nelson was still living with his parents after crapping out on college when he was twenty-four. At least Gavin is attempting to be successful, even if he is staying with his parents.

Or maybe his parents are staying with him? Not important.

Nelson attempts to exercise the philosophy of ‘if you look like you belong then you do’ but he looks very different compared to everyone in their business casual slacks and button down shirts. His confidence is basically non-existent by the time he finds an office with a name placard on the door, suggesting it’s Gavin Belson’s office.

Mentally he expects a guitar or two, maybe some pictures of Gavin doing impressive things. He knocks twice, a quiet ‘come in’, and Nelson finds Gavin at a plain looking desk with mountains of papers around him. It feels very familiar. Nelson’s desk at present Hooli is constantly buried under contracts and important memos.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Um,” Nelson straightens. He remembers feeling rather slighted this morning and he hopes to channel that irritation. “What kind of guy doesn’t get someone breakfast?”

Not really the most important thing right now but if he backs down he’ll never get around to the important things, like watching Back to the Future.

“What?” Gavin makes a hand gesture that Nelson does not understand. “Shut the damn door.”

“Cool, yeah,” Nelson quietly shuts the door to Gavin’s office, “really though I am starving. How are we supposed to have an awkward breakfast after sex if there’s no breakfast?”

Gavin puts his head in his hands. It’s so weird to see this young faced Backstreet Boy Gavin doing things Nelson associates with the older, more mature (Or at least better at hiding his immaturities.) Gavin of the present. And the office has zero guitars or pictures of Gavin, except for one sitting on the far shelf. In Gavin’s defense though it’s not just him in the photo.

He’s not sure who the other guy is but food first, snooping into Gavin’s past later.

“Why wouldn’t you just get breakfast yourself?” There’s that ‘why are you so dumb’ tone. Awesome. Nelson smiles, but he feels like it must look like he wants to strangle Gavin. “How did you find my anyway?”

“Uh, not important,” right he was a hookup he shouldn’t know _anything_ about Gavin, let alone the name of his business. “Can we get lunch or something?”

“Why would I do that? And shouldn’t you be at work?”

 _Well my job isn’t real right now so no, not really._ “Naw, day off. I have nowhere to be.”

Nelson settles into the only chair in the room that isn’t Gavin’s. He might as well get comfortable.

“You’re not going to leave unless I say yes, are you.”

“Do you have security?” Based on Gavin’s scowl, the answer is probably a no. “I saw a diner on the way here.”

-

Gavin ordered a single, plain (Boring.) omelet at the diner, with a bowl of fruit.

Nelson ordered three plates.

“Now this is breakfast.”

“It’s lunchtime,” he’s been brooding across the table the entire time. “And I have work to do. And, that is _way_ too much food for one person to eat.”

“Don’t underestimate me, I’ve only had a candy bar today.” He sucks down the rest of his second soda. “I have plenty of room.”

Gavin is ignoring him in favor of reading over a packet of papers. His forehead is creased from concentrating, or worrying, Nelson’s not sure which. He has an initial instinct to reach over and try to smooth out his brow, but they’re in public and if Nelson remembers correctly, this Gavin is far from comfortable about his sexuality, so he keeps his hands to himself.

“What you reading?” Nelson tries to keep his food in his mouth; he’s mostly successful. “Sorry. What is that?”

“Pitches. New companies desperate for funding.” Okay, so Hooli’s big enough to start funding other companies. “I have to decide by next Wednesday.”

“So you got a week?” Gavin nods. “That’s plenty of time.”

“There are twenty different pitches.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, ‘oh’,” Gavin spears a piece of melon and chews angrily. “I _had_ help, but that fell through.”

Nelson doesn’t press for more information. He doubts he’d get an answer anyway. “Say, quick question, you have a VCR right?” Gavin thinks he’s completely insane; he’s doing that eyebrow raised, confused look he’s perfected by the time they actually meet. “So that’s probably a yes. Want to watch a movie?”

-

Gavin didn’t exactly agree, but he didn’t decline the offer either; he only muttered about having to work until late. Still, it isn’t a no, so Nelson focuses on more important matters in the meantime. Namely, clothes.

His pants are fine, one of his newer pairs of jeans, so they should last for a few more days at least, but his shirt is already getting a bit sweaty, and got accused of being a women’s shirt by a certain asshole, so he wanders around Palo Alto until he finds a thrift store.

And then he gets another time shock, this time because he did not realize his twenty dollar bill would get him so far in life in 1991. He leaves the store with five new shirts and a ten dollar bill still in his wallet. Not a bad haul. He changes into a plain blue tee shirt at the nearest gas station and spends a few hours people watching in the park.

He’s really glad he mentally blocked those windbreaker jogging suits from memory.

Close to dinnertime Nelson isn’t really sure what to do with himself, so he starts heading back towards the Belson home. He’s completely turned around and has to find another phone book to figure out the address, and another bus fare later he’s only about ten blocks away instead of five miles. 1991 is exhausting.

New question: Can he climb up to Gavin’s room without falling and breaking a leg, and if he does manage that, can he do it without being seen?

He doesn’t get a chance to try it out because Gavin opens the front door and makes him go to the backyard. It’s probably for the best.

“Why the hell are you here?”

“Man you ask that a lot.”

“You keep showing up places you shouldn’t be!” Gavin huffs. “And I don’t even know you. You could be a stalker for all I know.”

“Gavin you gotta calm down-”

“That! Right there!” Gavin’s poking him in the chest. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you know my name, my business, my… my-”

 _Diet? That little hum thing you do when you get you way? That stupid dimple that is not at all distracting right now?_ “Whatever, your mom said your name. And hers, sort of. And I know how to use a phone book.” Okay that last one isn’t completely true but he got by. “And you’re kind of like, well known right? Young guy, big name in Silicon Valley?”

Playing into Gavin’s ego seems to calm him down a little. “So you ran into my mother on the way out.”

“Yeah, she thinks we’re friends I guess.” He reaches out a hand. “Nelson, since I’ve gone a whole day without saying it yet.” Nelson chuckles. Gavin stares at his hand for a moment before quickly shaking back and brushing his hand off on his pants. “So, movie?”

-

It’s probably weird to take notes during a fictional movie, but Nelson does not want to forget anything.

Don’t leave anything behind.  
Don’t drastically change an event’s outcome.  
Don’t have sex with your mom.  
Don’t die.

Seems easy enough. The whole, 88 mph and whatnot is kind of impossible since he can’t drive but getting back doesn’t seem too worrisome yet. He’s not going to get another chance to hang out with Gavin’s mom when he’s back in the present.

But then again he isn’t going to get to in 1991 if Gavin keeps forcing him to stay hidden. And during dinner too. Nelson has to wait until nearly ten before Gavin shows up with a plate of food.

“If you don’t want me around you can just say so.” A lot of the anger is lost as he shovels roasted chicken into his face. “I’ll just need to borrow like, a hundred dollars.”

“My father is not someone you want to spend time with if you can help it.” It feels like he wants to elaborate, but Gavin changes the subject. “Why would I lend you money?”

“We both know you’re rich-”

“My family is rich.”

“Same difference.” Nelson kind of wishes he could get seconds but he doubts it’ll happen. “I can’t access my bank right now.”

“Of course not.” Gavin sits on the foot of his bed and rubs his temples. “Where do you live? I can bring you home.”

“Uh,” _Don’t say with you don’t say with you don’t,_ “Canada.”

“What?”

“Yeah uh, I’m from Canada. Just visiting.” That is the worst lie he has ever told.

“And you didn’t bring money?”

“I got mugged?” Okay, _that_ is the worst lie he’s ever told. Why did he say it like a question?

“You don’t have a hotel?”

“Mugged right off the plane, like, minutes.” Seriously is he trying to find the worst lie? “Can I just stay here?”

“I’ll get you a hotel,” Gavin stands and starts walking to his desk. Nelson grabs his arm before he really knows what he plans to do next. “What!”

 _Alright instinct don’t fail me now._ Nelson kisses him and thank God Gavin is predictable. He’s backed up and they’re on the bed in no time.


	2. Day 2

Okay, so it wasn’t really his plan to sleep with 1991 Gavin again but Nelson is not upset by the change of plans at all.

It’s not that he doesn’t love their horribly domestic lazy old person life in the present, but young Gavin is, well, young. Nelson’s also certain he could not handle this kind of thing every day for years so, some nice reassurance for him and present Gavin.

Is this considered cheating if it’s still the same person? Man he really misses getting to Google everything. He decides that it isn’t, since it’s not like this is a different person, just a much younger version of the person he’s already with.

Young Gavin is so scrawny.

Nelson noticed yesterday, through Gavin’s shirt mostly but also last night when he was definitely shirtless, but he didn’t really register just how scrawny until this morning. And it’s not that present Gavin is that much heavier than his younger self, but Jesus did someone tell this kid he can’t eat anything but celery for a year or something? He’s going to have to introduce younger Gavin to vegan desserts before he goes home.

He would like to lie and say that no, he is not being a creeper and watching Gavin sleep, but he definitely is doing that, and he’s definitely enjoying the little sleep noises and twitches more than he probably should. Nelson reaches over to the bedside table and grabs his glasses, because if he’s going to be a creep he might as well get a good view before Gavin wakes up.

It’s different this time, because Gavin knows he spent the night here, so it shouldn’t be a shock.

But it is. Gavin starts to wake slowly, stretching before his eyes are open, and once they are Gavin nearly punches Nelson in the face. Good start to the day.

“Woah, hey there.”

“Ah, so you’re still here.” _Well good morning to you too asshole._ “Am I going to have to argue with you again or are you going to let me get to work on time?”

“Depends, are you offering me some breakfast or are you going to make me starve again?” Honestly at least present Gavin is a decent host. He brings Nelson breakfast in bed. This guy won’t even lend him, oh. “What is this?”

“A hundred dollars,” wow I hope your eyes fall out from rolling them you little- “I have a meeting at nine so I can’t go out right now.”

“Oh,” well this is already way better than yesterday. “We could get lunch again.”

“I’m working through lunch if those idiots have any say about it.” Gavin stands and disappears into his bathroom without another word.

-

Nelson ‘accidentally’ gets stopped on his way out again, and he’s very thankful it’s Gavin’s mom and not his dad. “Morning Mrs. Belson.”

“I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.” She offers him a mug of coffee, and as much as Nelson wants the caffeine he refuses. Coffee is way too bitter for him. “Did Gavin at least offer you something to eat before he ran out the door?”

“Nope, I’m afraid your son is hopeless Mrs. B.” He sits at the island counter and immediately notices the giant bowl of fruit. “Let me guess, these are either fake or Gavin’s.”

“Not if he isn’t here to say otherwise,” she hands him a banana and he starts peeling it. “You’re always welcome to join us for dinner too.”

“Would if I could,” and if Gavin wasn’t so dodgy about Nelson meeting his family, although Nelson’s gotten to hear plenty of stories about Gavin’s father to know he probably wouldn’t get along with the guy. “I have stuff to do though.”

“Don’t let Gavin hide you away forever,” she messes his hair up, such a mom thing, and Nelson has a brief feeling of homesickness. “You’re welcome to take some food with you, but I have an appointment so I can’t stay.”

“I’m good, got a date with me and about three plates of food at the diner.”

Mrs. Belson smiles and pats Nelson on the shoulder as she leaves. “I’m glad Gavin has a friend like you.”

Ha, _friend._ “You just have to get past the crusty layers.”

“Well, I’m glad you stuck around long enough to see that. Not a lot of people have the patience.”

-

Nelson may have exaggerated the whole, ‘he has things to do’ but how many opportunities is he going to have to just dick around in 1991?

He’s already bored.

Most of Nelson’s entertainment is internet based, and the last time he turned on his phone it was still just a fancy calculator. He could always go to the library and read.

Who is he kidding he doesn’t have the patience for reading.

But he does have one hundred dollars in 1991. And if the universe will give him one thing today, the arcade that Gavin talked about him and Peter going to all the time will still be open.

It is, and he has to admit Gavin was pretty accurate with his description. He remembers Gavin telling him about the blue and purple swirl carpet; he’s right it is absolutely hideous but still very memorable and somehow it fits. There aren’t a lot of play for ticket games, mostly just arcade consoles very similar to the ones Gavin has been collecting for his personal arcade. There’s Punch Out, and a few fighter games Nelson isn’t terribly good at, but there it is, on the back wall, the one game Nelson can sometimes play well; Galaga.

Okay, so he knows that in his rules he shouldn’t alter the past or anything, but that doesn’t mean he can’t leave a high score or two behind. Nelson makes change at the counter and fills his pocket with about ten dollars in quarters (He’s glad these pants fit properly because he does not need to flash a bunch of strangers in this arcade.) and starts playing.

And ten dollars in quarters later Nelson has to admit to himself that he will not be leaving a high score behind in 1991.

The banana Mrs. Belson gave him this morning has long since worn off, and Nelson’s stomach growls. He abandons the arcade for now, but also makes a mental note to drag Gavin here before he gets home.

Right, getting home is a thing he has not actually thought through.

Nelson holes up in a corner booth at the same diner, ordering the same triple breakfast food as yesterday, and scribbles out ideas on napkins.

88 mph is out, because he can’t drive, can’t afford a Delorean, and honestly it’s probably a pile of garbage that won’t work anyway.

And right now the only other idea he has involves Dr. Who so that’s probably out. He’s not going to fly all the way to England to find a phone booth in the hopes that it’s a time box thing. (TARDIS, he’ll remember in about an hour.)

Honestly it would be so much easier if he knew how he got here in the first place.

Nelson pulls out a couple bills to pay for his meal and the scrap of paper slips out. He grabs it, intending on tossing it on his plate with his other napkins, when he notices something.

“Six days?”

By far the creepiest thing that’s happened to him in a long while. He refolds the paper and sticks it back in his wallet, because if that stupid scrap of voodoo paper is his ticket home he’ll be damned if he just throws it away at a fricken diner.

Still, it is nice to have a, maybe, concrete timeframe for getting home. And if it is the paper it means he doesn’t have to do anything to make it happen, so he can focus on doing things here.

Why is he here anyway?

Maybe waking up with Gavin is significant. He could’ve woken up in his childhood home, and given his parents a heart attack, but no, he woke up in Palo Alto, in Gavin’s childhood home, and in Gavin’s bed.

There is the whole, Gavin’s mom isn’t alive in the present, so maybe he’s supposed to bond with her. She’s pretty awesome so far; Gavin did tell Nelson he would probably get along with his mother if they’d gotten a chance to meet. And she’s already happy that he and Gavin are _friends._

A crazy scientist dude never came over to his house and told him he messed up the past, so he’s probably not here to fix a mistake.

Unless he’s here to fix something that he doesn’t know is a mistake.

This is making his head hurt.

Okay, so right now, ignoring the possible mistake fixing spiral, his top reason is hang out with Mrs. Belson, but she’s a busy woman and Gavin’s still super dodgy about Nelson meeting his parents. So it’s like a secret mission.

Nelson checks the clock, and not his phone, although he reaches back to his pocket and swears before finding the wall clock in the diner. It’s already one; Nelson thinks about texting Gavin about lunch (More like making sure he had some but the idea is the same.) but he can’t because fuck land lines.

Oh wait.

Nelson waits until his waiter comes back before asking, “say, um, do you have a phonebook here?”

“Behind the counter. Did you need to use the phone?”

“Yeah if you don’t mind,” Nelson hands over a twenty, “keep the change.”

The smile makes Nelson wonder how much his food cost because no one usually looks that happy after a three dollar tip, but he’s not going to take it back now. He follows his waiter up to the counter and accepts the phonebook and corded handset thing. He’d almost forgotten that phones used to always have that weird curly cord that likes to kink up and tangle no matter how gently you treat the phone.

He writes down the number for Hooli so he can stop asking for phonebooks; he’s never going to forget not understanding how to use that phonebook in the library, he’d like to limit his interactions with phone books as much as possible. When he finds Hooli there’s only one number listed, and since this is a business Nelson expects the line to go through a secretary. He starts mentally preparing some bullshit answer as to who he is and why he’s calling Gavin Belson.

When the person answering is Gavin Nelson kind of panics. “Gavin speaking.”

“Uh,” _fuck come on use your words,_ “Gavin?”

“Yes,” he sounds like he’s trying really hard to not say something insulting but Nelson can still feel the judgement through the phone.

“Hey, it’s Nelson.”

“Nelson?” Come one they watched Back to the Future together (And slept together twice but that’s whatever.). “Oh, right.” And there’s that ‘you’re going to give me a migraine’ tone. Even at twenty-four Gavin is ‘too old for this shit’. Damn, Gavin’s probably never acted like a kid in his life. “What do you want?”

“Say, you said something about working through lunch.”

“And I am still doing that, if you’d stop interrupting me.”

“Right,” Nelson can’t get too put out since he is, in fact, interrupting Gavin during the work day. He’s just used to it working; he got Gavin to drive an hour just for chips. _Chips._ Young Gavin barely remembers he’s there. “Say, you got any plans for later? I know you’re working and all but it’s hump day.”

Oh fuck he is in public spouting out this nonsense. Nelson coughs a couple times but the damage is done, he’s turning red for sure. No one comments on his fun little name for Wednesday, but he’s pretty sure there was someone sitting on the stool next to him when he first started the phone call.

“I don’t even know what the fuck I’m supposed to say right now.”

“Well, you could pretend I didn’t say that, like ever. I went to the arcade today and if you want-”

“No.”

“Um, okay.” Gavin loves arcades. Weird. “Well we can do other stuff if you want.”

Gavin is quiet for about a minute. “I’ll be working late tonight.”

Nelson can practically feel the stress through the phone. He knows he shouldn’t interfere with anything important; he doesn’t want to fuck Hooli up for Gavin and himself, especially with the whole ‘they would’ve never met without Hooli’ thing.

But past Gavin is way too stressed out, and Nelson’s pretty sure he can do something about that while he’s here. It’s worth a shot.

“That’s not a no.”

“Look, Nelson, you seem like a good kid-”

“Woah there buddy I am older than you.” He will never get to say that again he needs to milk this.

“Really?”

“Don’t let the whole, no facial hair and being short fool you. I’m twenty-seven.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Oh well jokes on him because Nelson has an ID now and it has his age.

Fuck he can’t use that. According to his ID he is both twenty-seven and born in 1988. And he also can’t get into any bars because they’re going to think his ID is fake, destroy it, and there he goes finding yet another way to get arrested in 1991.

“Nevermind, not important.”

“Ha, I knew you were lying.” _Oh yeah you little shit?_ “I need to get back to work.”

“Yeah yeah,” Nelson stands up from the stool, “I should go pretend I have important things to do anyway.”

“Aren’t you on vacation?”

“Oh so you do listen to me?” When he lies, but still, it’s something. “I can have important things to do on vacation. Like… not work.”

“Well, some of us still have work to do. Goodbye.”

“See you.” Gavin laughs, a quiet, disbelieving laugh. He starts muttering something that Nelson can’t hear, and then the line goes dead.

Well, he didn’t get a no.

-

Nelson finds himself walking in some super organic vegan/vegetarian friendly wonderland, so present Gavin’s wet dream if Nelson was holding one of the baskets of fruit. Or maybe just the basket of fruit, hard to say.

He’s walking around an outdoor market, kind of like that farmer’s market they like to go to on Saturdays, but more permanent. All of the stalls are made of wood or stone, not the plastic tents and folding tables he’s used to seeing. There’s about a dozen stalls, all with home grown fruits and vegetables and some jars of jams and preserves. Nelson can even still see some dirt on the potatoes, which Gavin seems to like even though when Nelson leaves dirt on their food it’s ‘lazy’ and ‘unsanitary’ and ‘really Nelson you like to cook you should take pride in your ingredients’. Germs are good for you, and dirt is a great way to get germs. Whatever.

There aren’t near as many fruits as he hoped, but Nelson manages to find a couple weird bananas the stall owner called plantains, some apples, and two pears. Another stall has some canvas backpacks, and Nelson picks out a green bag so he can carry around more than just what fits in his pockets. If he wanted to he could bring the fruit to Gavin now; it’s not that far and he knows the bus route fairly well. He debates back and forth for awhile, and irritates two bus drivers, but in the end Nelson decides that if he doesn’t bring Gavin something to eat no one else will, so he hops onto the bus going near Hooli.

He walks a bit more confidently this time since he knows where Gavin’s office is, but when he gets there Gavin is talking (Yelling.) with someone in his office. Nelson fidgets outside the door and tries to not eavesdrop too badly, but it’s difficult to not catch a few colorful swears and the sound of something breaking.

If he had to guess Nelson would say the meeting is not going well.

After a few more minutes a guy Nelson thinks he recognizes opens the door and leaves the office. Nelson slips through the door before it clicks shut. Gavin’s sitting at his desk with his eyes closed and his hands in his hair. He’s tugging at it, messing up his stupid haircut, and Nelson is about to call out the fact that he snuck inside when Gavin looks up and startles.

“Hi.”

“Jesus _fuck!_ ”

“Hey, so I was in the area-”

“Bullshit!” Okay, rude, he could totally be in the area and not be following Gavin around.

He wasn’t, and he is, but still, rude.

“Right, that’s not true, but I was in the area of a market, and I found some fruit and I thought, well since you worked through lunch, um,” Nelson grabs an apple from the bag and hands it over, “here.”

Gavin looks like he put a dead rat on his desk. “Why?”

“Um, because I thought you’d be hungry?” Gavin tips the apple side to side. “It’s from an organic market thing.”

“Really?” Nelson nods. He’s going to pretend that was a genuine, happy ‘really?’ and not the ‘I didn’t think you were capable’, incredulous ‘really?’ of reality. Gavin wipes the apple off on his pants and takes a bite.

“You’re welcome,” Gavin grunts. “So what’s all the yelling about anyway?”

“Work.”

“Sure, sure,” Nelson glances around, trying to find whatever broke. And then he sees the picture frame from yesterday, facedown and on the ground. He kneels down and carefully turns the frame over, and he doesn’t even cut himself on any of the broken glass. Nelson looks over the photo for any cuts or scratches, and realization dawns on him. “This is that guy.”

“What are you blathering about?” Gavin sees what Nelson is holding and there it is, there’s the familiar pissed off Gavin. Nelson cannot take him seriously with that haircut though. “Oh, _that._ ”

“Uh, yeah, that.” He sets the frame back on the shelf. “Business huh?”

“Just sorting a few things out, removing names from accounts, things like that,” Gavin grabs a stress ball from his desk and throws it at the frame, and hits Nelson in the shoulder before he even registers that Gavin is throwing something.

“Ow,” he rubs the spot. It didn’t actually hurt but he was startled. “What the hell Gavin.”

“Nothing, just a stressful day. Thank you for the fruit.” He’s very curt, and obviously trying to get rid of Nelson.

“Okay, but this feels super personal for business.” Gavin looks absolutely _murderous_ , and Nelson decides that it’s probably time to give Gavin some space while he deals with the fallout of that meeting. “Hey, it’s cool, I’m going to get out of your hair.” He sets the bag of fruit on the desk, careful to not cover up any of Gavin’s papers. “There’s a couple of pears and some weird bananas. And more apples.”

Gavin peers into the bag and mutters, “plantains.”

“Whatever, they’re banana shaped.” Gavin huffs, and the tiniest of smiles quirks up the corner of his mouth. It isn’t a dimple smile but it’s something. “Bye.”

“You,” Nelson turns back from the door, “I’m going to be here awhile, these fucking forms need to be completed before tomorrow morning, but ah, later I should be free. If you’re still around.”

Nelson smiles. “It’s not like I have anywhere else to be.”

-

Nelson considers just lurking around Hooli, but Gavin is the only person he knows out of the dozen people here, and one of two people he knows in this year, and if he’s going to keep himself from fucking up the past any more than he probably has he should probably not get to know any more people on a personal level.

It’s not like he can think of that many other people to talk with. Richard’s only three, and sure he’s probably a smart three year old and already talking in sentences, but if he fucks up and scares Richard away it could royally mess with their friendship in the future. That, and being around little Richard also means being around himself, which is all kinds of fuck no in a time travel scenario.

And he gets to talk to his parents all the time in the present, so it’s not like- “FUCK.”

His dad.

His dad-dad, like, biological dad.

His dad that died when he was six.

No, no way he cannot call his father. He’s going to end up saying something stupid, like, ‘you die in three years’, or, ‘you don’t know me but you see that three year old in the room with you? I’m him but from the future and older. Surprise!’. Would not go over well.

_Don’t change the past. Don’t change the past. Don’t change the past._

Nelson goes to the library.

He tells himself he went there to waste time until Gavin gets done at work but he knows he’s lying to himself. Nelson knows there’s a phone at the library. He knows there’s an easy way to get his old home phone number (He doesn’t have it memorized anymore. It’s changed at least twice in the present and he barely remembers his current phone number, let alone old ones.). He knows what he’s thinking of doing is incredibly stupid, but he still checks his pocket for a quarter as he walks into the library.

There’s a couple people in the back by the phone; Nelson loiters by the closest shelves until the two patrons finally start browsing around another part of the library. The phone has instructions on how to dial the operator, which Nelson is thankful for because he had no idea how to do that (Or he’s angry because he didn’t want this to be easy.). His hands are shaking; he accidentally presses too many buttons the first two times he tries to dial the number.

He doesn’t remember hearing the spiel from the operator. Maybe they had a conversation, he’s not sure, he doesn’t remember anything except for sputtering out, “Mr. Bighetti, Tulsa.”

It takes a couple minutes, and he nearly chickens out and hangs up at least three times, but all too soon he has his old home phone number written down. He hesitates, considers just leaving now and tearing up the note, but then he starts dialing the number and it’s too late. The phone starts ringing.

This is bad, this is very bad, he should not be doing this right now. He should be- someone picks up.

“Hello?”

Oh shit. _Don’t say dad, please, don’t fuck up and say dad._ “Mr-” He clears his throat. “Mr. Bighetti?”

“Speaking.” God he’d forgotten what he sounded like. Did he ever really know in the first place? Nelson can hear his own breathing through the handset. He is being very, very creepy right now. Jesus he really needs to either say something or hang up.

“Hello? Anyone there?”

“Wrong number!” Nelson hangs up the phone and darts into the bathroom. It’s empty, he’s grateful, because he is doing a fair bit of freaking out and having someone see him like this would cause a lot of unnecessary commotion (And a possible visit to a 1991 hospital. Not good.). He sits on the floor of the farthest stall and hides his face in his knees and wraps his arms over his head. He’ll just be here a moment, just to get his bearings back. He’s okay, he’s fine. Nelson takes one deep breath, and he cries.

-

He could really use a hug right about now.

Nelson hides out in the library bathroom for an hour or two. No one asks if he’s okay; he doesn’t remember hearing anyone even enter the bathroom while he cried. Again, it’s probably for the best, even if he does feel like crap.

Present Gavin wouldn’t even need to ask. He’d see Nelson’s red eyes and the little shivers (He can never stay warm when he’s upset; he’s never figured that one out but it sucks.) and he’d get a quilt and they’d cuddle on the couch or the bed. Nelson would pull up some random movie on his laptop and they’d stay there until Nelson stopped feeling like his bones were made of ice.

But today, in 1991, he has to walk around for another hour until he finds a clothing store, try to convince people that he’s fine on the outside even though he does not feel okay at all, and after he finds something both warm and affordable he bundles up in a warm flannel jacket while he waits for the bus.

Gavin isn’t really getting a say right now; Nelson needs a bit of company to pull him out of this funk.

He briefly considers going back to Hooli, Gavin did say he would be there late tonight, but he's already distracted him twice today. And while he's had fun with Gavin he's not sure his younger self is going to be all that attentive when he's A) already in a bad mood and, B) trying to get work done.

Nelson decides to go to the Belson mansion. Gavin's mother did say he was welcome anytime, and if he is supposed to get to know her better this is probably his best chance. He's already rung the doorbell before he remembers that Gavin's father might be home, and for the few minutes he has to wait Nelson quietly contemplates running off to hide in some of the landscaping until someone answers the door.

“Oh, Nelson,” it's Gavin's mother, thankfully. She's holding a glass of red wine. “Were you looking for Gavin? I'm afraid he's still at work.”

“Yeah, I was afraid so.” He starts to back off the porch. If she invites him in he's definitely not saying no, but he's not going to try and muscle his way into having a heart to heart with her unless prompted. “Sorry to bother you.”

“Nonsense, come on in.” She holds the door open and Nelson walks into the foyer. Both times he's been here he hasn't really put a lot of stock in just how nice the Belson home is, but now that he has more time he notices those silly little intricate moldings and trim that cost way more than it should. The only thing that makes it look like a home instead of a museum is the family portrait; Gavin isn't smiling. He probably doesn't want to be there. Nelson recognizes the younger Rob 4, someone he's had the pleasure (Displeasure.) of meeting in the present. He's not a fan.

“Do you want anything? Some wine?” Nelson shrugs, and she pours him a glass anyway. He sips at the wine and silently thanks some form of higher power that it's a sweet red and not that nasty dry Merlot Gavin offered him at a function for some charity. “How have you been?”

“Oh, you know,” he takes a big enough gulp to finish off most of his glass. She nods sympathetically and pours him some more. “Been a long day.”

“Just give him some time to cool off.”

“What?” Nelson swirls his glass of wine until he realizes what she means. “Oh! Oh it's not Gavin. Just… personal stuff. Not a big deal.”

“Nelson, I'm a mother,” he nods. He knew he wasn't getting out of this. “But I'm not your mother so,” she pours him a bit more wine.

Well this isn't what he expected. He clinks his glass against Gavin's mother's glass and takes another drink. “Long day yourself?”

“No more than usual.” She pulls out a pack of blueberries and sets it between the two of them. “How good are you at paralegal work?”

“I don't even know what it is,” he laughs. “I'm more of a,” he waves his arm that's holding his wine and nearly spills. Maybe he's a lightweight. “whoops. Um, big thinker.”

“I take it you don't drink much.” Nelson shakes his head and nearly falls off his stool. By the time he rights himself she's not laughing, but based on the smile she definitely was. “I hope you weren't planning on driving home.”

“Ha, I can't even do that sober.” And no matter what present Gavin says Nelson will never drive a car. It's just not going to happen. He pops a couple of blueberries into his mouth. They spend a fair amount of time just sipping at their wine and looking out the giant picture windows overlooking the well maintained backyard (Which happens to have a pool, and Nelson is all for dragging Gavin into going swimming.). It’s no heart to heart, but it is relaxing. “Where is everybody?”

“In order, business trip, lives with his wife, and you know Gavin's at the office.”

“Works hard,” Nelson grabs one of the apples. He would really like some pasta or something to soak up the alcohol, but he's afraid of what he would do in the kitchen. Last time he got drunk Gavin food for him. Ha that was a fun night. “So hard.”

Well he didn't mean to say it like that. That was a little more suggestive than he intended.

Oh shit past Gavin isn't out to his family.

“He's going to give himself an ulcer if he keeps it up.” Wait she didn't notice? “I'm going to have to rely on you to loosen him up a bit.”

She noticed.

“Ha, well, I do like playing arcade games.” Keep it cool. Totally chill. Sno cone. Now he's just hungry. _You can do this Nelson reign it in._ “You know, buttons, joysticks-”

Shit.

“You know it's super late I should get going,” he glances at the clock. It's barely past eight. “Uh, it's late where I'm from?”

“Are you over twenty one?”

What the hell is it a family thing? “I'm twenty seven!”

“Then you know you're just drunk honey.” She pats his shoulder. Damn it she tricked him.

“Guess I should go,” he downs the rest of his glass, only a sip but he leans back really far anyway, and sets it on the counter. “I'll get outta your hair.”

“Nonsense, we have four guest rooms.”

Well, he was planning on sneaking into Gavin's room anyway but if he's welcome, “yeah okay. Heh, twist my arm.”

Gavin's mother leads him to a guest room right across the hall from Gavin's bedroom. He doesn't comment, thankfully; he's already put his foot in his mouth enough today. Nelson doesn't really think, he just face plants on the bed and he's asleep before he can even take off his shoes.


	3. Day 3

When Nelson wakes up he’s not really feeling that much better about his dad, but he did manage to not get hung over, which is great, because he wasn’t planning on explaining to Gavin about that time his mother got Nelson drunk on red wine.

He also wasn’t planning on running into him as he left his room in the morning but he’s going to have to run with it now. “Morning.”

Gavin mutters a greeting before startling to a stop and doing an honest to God double take. Nelson waves. “How the hell did you get in?”

“I have my ways.” _Your mom likes me_. “So what’s the plan for today?”

“Nelson I have a _job_. I own a company. I am trying to make a tech empire.”

Well at least young Gavin’s goals are right on track. But still, “you can play hooky for one day.”

For a brief second it looks like Gavin is considering listening to Nelson, but then he shakes his head and plants his feet. Classic Gavin digging in his heels. “You could possibly argue that if it were Friday, but it isn’t. I have to get going.”

Nelson decides to take that as an offer to ask Gavin to play hooky tomorrow, or at least get him to take a long lunch. Baby steps.

As Gavin turns back towards the steps Nelson feels the urge to say something he would normally tell present Gavin, like ‘have a good day’ or ‘I love you’ or any number of things young Gavin is not ready to hear from Nelson. He suddenly feels very lonely. Gavin’s here, but he’s not here, not the way Nelson wants him to be here. It’s rather disorienting.

 _Fuck it_. Nelson rushes forward, takes the briefest moment to make sure they are alone for Gavin’s sake, and pulls Gavin into a hug. He tries to ignore the disappointment when Gavin doesn’t hug back.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t give me that crap I know you know what a hug is.”

Gavin sighs, “yes, physically I know what you’re doing, but I don’t know _why_.”

Nelson drops his arms and wraps them around his torso. He’s thankful he fell asleep in his jacket, it helps lessen the chilled feeling Nelson always gets when he’s upset, but he still feels too cold for early fall. They stand together in awkward silence, Nelson has no idea how to tell Gavin that a hug from him, a complete stranger in this time period, would help him feel better. Eventually Gavin mutters about being late and descends the staircase.

Once Gavin is gone Nelson takes a couple deep breaths, but it doesn’t help him feel any better. He can already tell today is going to be rough. He crosses the hall and opens the door to Gavin’s bedroom. Nothing major changed in one day; the only difference Nelson spots outright is someone changed the bedsheets. He’d bet a lifetime supply of gummy worms it wasn’t Gavin’s doing.

He crosses the room and enters Gavin’s bathroom. Nelson’s used the shower briefly to wash his hair, but he didn’t get a chance to really enjoy the hot water and Gavin’s expensive organic soaps. A short memory of Gavin spouting facts about calming scents crosses his mind. Something about flowers. Purple bottle. He can’t remember the name of the scent.

Nelson sheds all his clothes and leaves them in a pile on the bathroom floor. Normally Gavin’s right behind him, and tells him to stop being a slob and put his clothes in the hamper, but it’s not his hamper and Gavin’s at work so Nelson can do what he wants. And he’s going to throw most of it back on after he’s done in the shower anyway.

He turns on Gavin’s music, something calming and classical Nelson recognizes but could never name, and turns on the hot water. The bathroom fills with steam and Nelson starts to feel the chill ease out of his limbs. Once he’s standing under the water he closes his eyes and turns his face towards the stream.

Nelson likes to take his time in the shower, especially if he has something on his mind.

He really shouldn’t call his father again.

The fact of the matter is he has no idea what he would say to the guy if he did call again, and what does it solve anyway? In three years his dad is going to go away for business. He’s going to get in a rental car, the car is going to get hit driver side, and his mother is going to get a phone call in the middle of the night. Then there’s the funeral, and ‘downsizing’ to something they can afford. And then when he’s nine they’ll meet his step-dad (Who’s as much of a real dad to Nelson as his biological dad was.) and it’ll all be okay again.

But he barely remembers anything about his dad, and the older he gets the more his childhood just kind of slips away. He still remembers going trick or treating with his dad the last Halloween they had together, but he can’t remember the costume he wore, or anything significant other than his dad handing him a full size bar from their favorite neighbor. Or that time Nelson fell off the playground monkey bars and nearly broke his leg. Or the time he fell off and _did_ break his leg, about five years after the first fall. They’re hazy, incomplete memories now, more a general feeling than an actual replay.

He kind of hates getting older.

Nelson opens his eyes long enough to pick out a bottle of shampoo, “lavender!”

He remembers all, well not all but most, of Gavin’s hippie spiel about lavender being calming and relaxing. Nelson takes a couple deep inhales of the shampoo before squirting out a dollop and lathering up his hair. Relaxing? Maybe, he can’t really be sure, but he does like the smell. It reminds him of Gavin, and that alone helps to smooth some of his frayed nerves.

There’s a good chance Nelson will call his dad again, even if he hangs up right away. It’s nice to be able to put a voice to things he remembers his dad saying, or some of the stories his mom likes to tell on his birthday. He just has to figure out how to not be a creeper on the phone.

And in no way can he warn his dad about that trip.

Even though he wants to, he wants to say something so bad.

Either way, with that in mind, Nelson is not in a good place to call his dad again today. He would either call and warn him and royally screw up the future, or call and break down over the phone. Neither are really great options.

After using up far more hot water than he intended Nelson takes a couple minutes to use Gavin’s razor. He’s been letting his scruff get a bit too long, and it’s either commit to the beard or get rid of it, but his facial hair stays in that awkward not quite a beard stage for a lot longer than he likes. If the paper is right and he’s going back in six days-

Nelson digs out his wallet and grabs the paper. “Of course.”

It’s down to five days.

He could maybe get away with not shaving again until he leaves, but he will not look his best by the time he returns. He’d like to not look like complete crap when he finally gets to see present Gavin again.

As Nelson towels off he wonders what Gavin’s up to in the present.

And as he’s rubbing his hair he realizes if Gavin is up to something, then the present is continuing without him.

“ _Fuck_.”

He has no way to contact Gavin, no way to tell if he’s just in the past or if he’s in the past _instead_ of being in the present, like that parallel times thing Richard tried to explain to him. If he is gone Gavin’s got to be super worried, and if he isn’t gone then why doesn’t he know what they’re doing in the present? Maybe time’s stalled there? Or maybe time is way more confusing than Nelson ever imagined.

Nelson’s gunning for more confusing than he imagined, because it has the best chance of him returning without Gavin knowing he was gone. And worrying, Gavin would have kittens if Nelson disappeared for a week without warning.

He knows he’s going to dwell on this for the rest of the day, and lowkey the rest of the time he’s in 1991, but there is literally nothing he can do until he gets back. Well, he could tell young Gavin to not worry when his fiancé disappears mysteriously for an entire week but there’s a lot of problems with that statement and Nelson is not firing enough cylinders in his brain to try and be subtle.

Nelson wraps a towel around his waist and bundles up his clothes into a knot. He dumps them on the foot of Gavin’s bed and starts pulling his shirt out of the pile when he has an idea.

Normally when Nelson’s feeling down he drags out one of Gavin’s old sweatshirts from college or a long sleeved shirt Gavin wears when he goes on a walk. They’re all oversized, but sometimes they smell a little like Gavin’s deodorant. And a bit like Gavin, Nelson can admit that he finds a certain amount of comfort from smelling Gavin’s pillow/shirt/person.

But when he checks the hamper Gavin’s laundry has already been collected, and since the sheets were changed they smell more like fabric softener than Gavin. Nelson snoops through one of the closets and pulls on one of Gavin’s clean sweatshirts, it’s from some sort of hoity toity university club, like a frat for rich kids, but it’s big and warm and when Nelson pulls the hood up over his wet hair he feels a little better.

He also snags a pair of Gavin’s boxers, you can only turn a pair inside out once after all, and Gavin is not getting them back anytime soon. They’re soft and very, very comfortable (And probably horribly expensive.). He’s never felt affection for a pair of undergarments but these might just be the first.

Gavin can’t get too mad if Nelson takes a nap in his bed; he’s slept naked in it twice already, sleeping with clothes on should be an improvement. Nelson curls up in the middle of the king sized bed with Gavin’s pillow tucked under his arm. Belatedly he realizes he should set an alarm, but his eyes slip shut before he manages to exert the effort.

-

His nap is about two hours long, longer than he wanted but not long enough to completely throw off his schedule, and he wakes up feeling more human than he did this morning. He fluffs his hair to get rid of the persistent moisture and make it a poofy mess instead of a flattened mess and pulls on the rest of his clothes. Gavin’s sweatshirt stays though; he’s not giving it up until Gavin says otherwise.

Since the house is empty and, once again, Nelson doesn’t know if he should cook without someone saying it’s okay, so he checks his wallet briefly for his money (And the note. It’s still nestled among his crinkled ones and fives.) and leaves the Belson mansion in search of lunch, backpack slung over one shoulder in case he finds something interesting.

This time when Nelson ends up in the farmer’s market place it’s on purpose. He remembers seeing a couple take out places and thinking it sounded good, or at least cheap. Near the place with the crazy bananas (Plantains.) Nelson finds a Chinese food place and orders three containers worth of take out, and he still has plenty left over to get a couple bananas (Plantains.) to bring to Gavin at Hooli.

He’s considering the bananas (He’ll never get it right.) a ‘sorry I unexpectedly hugged you this morning’ apology. It’s taken him forever to get present Gavin to be okay with displays of affection; he can only imagine how emotionally constipated young Gavin still is, especially with him still being closeted about his sexuality.

One of these days he’s going to actually greet the secretary instead continuing to walk past her, but his principle is still the less people he interacts with the better, so unfortunately it means he’s going to end up being rude to her to avoid some sort of time catastrophe.

Gavin’s in his office, like usual, only this time he’s on the phone. Nelson quietly raps on the door until he hears a quiet, ‘come in’, and Gavin is partway through a motion indicating he needs quiet when he visibly deflates. Nelson waves and holds up a banana thing, which Gavin quietly motions for him to set it on the desk.

It was probably Gavin’s intention to get Nelson to leave, but Nelson feigns ignorance. Gavin rolls his eyes and continues discussing stocks or work or something. Nelson tunes out the main bulk of the conversation, only hearing the briefest comment, “the contracts are ready for HR.”

This definitely qualifies as something he should not fuck around with. No bad contract means Richard loses his arbitration. Richard losing his arbitration also means Gavin stays as CIO of Hooli, and maybe that also means they don’t start dating, and if they don’t start dating- _Focus_.

Nelson takes a few hurried bites of his kung pao chicken and settles back into his chair. Things make a bit more sense, that the contract in question was developed when Hooli was still a baby tech company. He can’t imagine present Gavin overlooking something like getting a lawyer to examine the wording with a fine toothed comb.

He’ll have to thank young Gavin for messing up without sounding like a complete jerk.

He’s deep in thought when Gavin hangs up, and it takes the stress ball hitting him in the shoulder again to actually look up and acknowledge Gavin. “Oh, hey.”

“Are you just fucking with me?”

“What?” What did he do now?

“Why do you keep bringing me fruit? Did my father put you up to this?”

Oh. “No way. You like fruit right?” And apparently worked through lunch again. “Just thought I’d be nice.”

Random acts of kindness are clearly a mystery to young Gavin, who had already started to peel the banana, but is now regarding it like something Nelson laced with poison.

“It’s not gonna bite or anything it’s from the market.”

“Biting is not one of my concerns.” He sets down the banana and laces his fingers, resting his chin against his pointers. “What did you do to them?”

“Are you serious?” Nelson grabs the banana and takes a big bite out of the top. And he regrets it immediately because while it looks like a banana, it certainly doesn’t taste like one. “Ugh gross! How do you eat these?”

“They’re less sweet; I _prefer_ them over regular bananas.” Gavin seems satisfied by Nelson’s impulsive bite and starts eating, although he does carefully remove the part with Nelson’s teeth marks.

“You do know your mouth’s been worse places on me? My mouth germs are nothing.” Gavin nearly chokes. He has to take a drink of water, and even after that he’s still glaring at Nelson. “What?”

“I. Am. At. _Work_.” In public. That’s the part that matters. Nelson nods. Gavin’s quiet until he finishes the first hell banana. Hell-nana. There’s got to be a better mashup, “is that my sweatshirt?”

“Huh?” Nelson looks down at the silly little Greek symbols over the left breast of the sweater. “I guess.”

“Take it off.”

“I’m not wearing anything under it.” Gavin, very slowly and carefully, sets his face down on his desk. Nelson takes a bite of fried rice.

“I don’t think asking why will really make me feel any better, but I’m curious. Why?” Well he can’t tell the truth, and his mouth is full, so he shrugs. “You are one of the most infuriating people I’ve ever met.”

And yet, he hasn’t asked him to leave.

They continue eating in silence, and as Nelson scans the office he notices something is missing. “Where’s that picture?”

Gavin had been writing, but his pen scritches across the notepage. Good thing it wasn’t an important document. “ _What_ picture.”

“The one of you and that guy.”

Gavin sets down his pen. “‘that guy’ has a name; Peter. And the frame was broken so I threw it away.”

“The frame or the picture?” Gavin doesn’t say anything in response. “You didn’t want the photo?”

He’s pretty sure present Gavin would care that he threw away a photo of the both of them, especially pre-digital.

“I don’t need it anymore.”

Yikes.

Nelson doesn’t pry; he doubts Gavin would elaborate anyway.Ten minutes until one Gavin starts gathering up some papers, “I have a meeting, and as much as this… I’d prefer if you weren’t here when I’m done.”

“Oh.”

“I have a lot of work, and I don’t need anymore distractions.”

Oooh. That sounds better than an ‘I don’t want you here’. Nelson nods. “Sure. I’m going to finish eating first.”

“You have until three, or four,” Gavin sounds like he’s already getting a headache. “See you later.”

Nelson decides to not comment on that. He smiles and shoves another bite of food in his mouth as Gavin leaves.

After taking a moment to finish off the fried rice, he doesn’t want Gavin walking back in because he forgot something, Nelson sets down the to go container and starts looking for Gavin’s trash can. Gavin of any time period will be grateful that he’s salvaging the photo, even if younger Gavin doesn’t agree right now.

He finds a couple napkins and a tea bag, nothing abnormal about that. Underneath that he can see the corner of the frame and an even younger Gavin peeking out from behind a banana peel. The frame is a mess, and the glass is beyond any sort of repair or salvage efforts, but after carefully popping off the back and sliding the photo free Nelson is pleased to find it has no scratches or tears.

Nelson pops his back heel in order to stand, but something else in the trash can catches his eye. He doesn’t mean to snoop, he did before but that was for the photograph, but it’s not everyday you see a pitch for a major tech company in the trash.

He drags a stack of stapled papers out and flips through them; it’s big name after big name, all companies Nelson recognizes from the present. _Why are these in the trash?_

He flips through the papers on Gavin’s desk until he finds an empty folder. He shoves the photo and pitches into it, puts them into the large pocket of his bag, and quickly leaves the Hooli building.

-

Nelson pours over the pitches as he eats a stack of pancakes at the diner, and he has to laugh for a minute at what a Gavin thing he’s doing, minus the fruit. Gavin spends most of their morning reading emails and papers, so the point where Nelson switched out his tea for water and Gavin didn’t notice. He barely registers he’s eaten the whole stack until his fork meets with nothing but ceramic.

They’re all funding requests.

Five major, big name companies came to Gavin for funding in their early days, and Gavin threw them in the trash. Something isn’t right; Nelson knows Gavin, and knows what kind of company he runs. Hooli is innovative, cutting edge, always trying to strive to be first in all tech fields. These companies are all that and more, and Gavin isn’t swearing or punching the air with excitement over that?

Partway through his third soda Nelson realizes why these names are familiar. They’re on the web wall; the wall of influence or whatever Gavin said. It’s a wall with Hooli in the center and lines to all the companies Hooli funded. It predates Hooli’s current strategy of buying companies over funding new ventures (And the tech meetings to learn companies’ secrets voluntarily. Nelson isn’t usually present during those.) and these five are a major part of that.

They definitely shouldn’t be in the trash.

He packs up the pitches and digs out his wallet to pay for his food. It’s mostly ones with a surprise five in the middle. Nelson pulls out everything to resort his money into a more manageable system.

Something feels like it’s missing but he’s not sure what.

It takes two more pass throughs and a few minutes of Nelson thinking he lost some of his money (Gavin’s money.) before he realizes the paper isn’t in his wallet.

If that stupid paper is his ticket home he is fucked.

Nelson throws enough money on the table to pay for his bill and runs out of the diner. “Fuck fuck fuck this is no good _shit_.”

The last time he had it, Nelson has to stop and think for a minute, was yesterday, no, this morning. It was in his wallet when he was in Gavin’s bathroom, but Nelson’s certain he didn’t pull any money out until after he already left the Belson mansion.

Retracing his steps, that’s what he’ll do. It’s the sensible thing to do. Nelson has to wait for the bus for twenty minutes, and the ride down to the market is another half hour of him bouncing his leg anxiously because the bus will not go any faster. He almost falls over from getting up too fast at his stop.

The market is closed for the day. Every stall he visited is empty and the few that are indoor stalls have their doors shut and locked. He rushes back and forth across the courtyard, picking up every scrap of paper and receipt, but none of them are his ticket home.

He considers the possibility that it’s still in his wallet a few times, and checks every time, but it’s still not there no matter how many times he tries. Then he checks all the trash cans, but finds them not only lacking his paper, they’re also empty, meaning changed, meaning his paper is at best in a landfill somewhere and at worst possibly burned. He thinks that’s a thing in 1991, but he’s not sure.

Part of Nelson kind of wishes he would’ve seen a garbage truck when he turns the corner, but he doesn’t, so he can’t even say he got to have a fun anticlimactic chase after a vehicle that is way faster than him. Instead Nelson walks around Palo Alto for a couple more hours until the sun goes down, and then a couple more hours in the dark.

He can’t get home now, can’t get back to Gavin. He’s going to completely mess up the timeline. The only good thing is maybe he can spend a lot more years with Gavin, if he doesn’t get too annoyed with him. This is going to get really messy.

Shit.

He can’t be with young Gavin. He isn’t with Gavin until the present. Young Gavin being with him means older Gavin not being single, and present himself not getting together if present Gavin is already with him, but not _him_. But in order to be with young Gavin he had to be with older Gavin to give him the idea, so present Gavin has to be single, and-

His head hurts.

Nelson decides to stay away from the Belson mansion and Gavin tonight, and probably forever, and tells himself that he can’t see Gavin until 2015 when he goes back to the present. He finds a college campus after walking long enough, finds a building open twenty four hours, and tries to fall asleep on one of the common room couches.


	4. Day 4

He only sleeps about an hour straight.

In his defense a lot of loud people came through the building at five in the morning, probably a frat but he’s not certain, and it was easier for him to just find a new place to try and sleep. But by the time he finds another open building Nelson’s mind is racing again.

He has no money, no job, he’s a three year old in 1991 according to his ID, things are not looking great right now. Nelson can see it now; a park bench, maybe a nice box in a corner of an alley, at least he’s in California where he’s less likely to freeze to death.

And in twenty years, as long as he doesn’t do something stupid, he’ll see Gavin again. _His_ Gavin. He’ll never let Gavin out of his sight once he's finally back.

If he’s going to make it twenty years he better get a job. Nelson doesn't even have enough money for pancakes at the diner right now. He has two dollars, a wrinkled receipt from the farmer’s market, that dumb scrap of pa-

“Holy shit.”

Clearly this paper is some sort of benevolent tied string on his pinky, or whatever that old reminder trick is, because as if he never lost it, there’s a scrap of paper with ‘four days’ in the center.

Nelson’s so relieved he about passes out when he moves to stand up.

Instead he does the only thing that makes sense when he’s only slept for an hour; he goes to Gavin. More importantly, he goes to Hooli to try and convince Gavin that he should let Nelson sleep on the floor in his office, because if he doesn’t there’s a good chance Nelson is going to fall asleep on the sidewalk.

The bus is packed, and Nelson opts to stand to try and keep himself awake, but he still startles when the bus stops by the business district and people begin filing out in a mob. He trudges along towards the building, nearly cries when he remembers there’s no elevator and his feet are tingling because he’s so tired, and accidentally throws his bag at Gavin’s door when he slings it off his shoulder.

“What the _fuck_.” Oh good he’s here. Nelson pushes the door open and, for once, Gavin is silent. _Man I must look like shit._ “Ah, it’s you.”

“Yep just passing through.” He closes the door to the office and calmly lowers himself to the floor.

“What are you doing?” Nelson watches Gavin get up from his desk enough to fix Nelson with a confused stare. Nelson waves. “Stop that and answer me.”

“Super tired.”

“You still didn’t answer,” Gavin trails off to a whisper. “Are you planning on sleeping on my floor?”

“Not gonna lie the option crossed my mind.” He starts scooting until he’s mostly hidden behind the desk. Gavin watches him like he’s watching an animal sprout a second head. “This seems good.”

“I don’t really think you’re in any condition to make that kind of call.” Nelson snorts. “I still need to get work done.”

“Just here for a nap.” Nelson tugs at the jacket on the back of Gavin’s chair. For pillow reasons, not the fact that it’s Gavin’s jacket, but that is an added bonus. Gavin rolls his eyes, but hands the jacket over. Nelson balls the jacket up into a makeshift pillow, has a brief feeling of delight when it smells familiar, and passes out.

-

When Nelson wakes up he finds Gavin staring at him.

That’s not weird.

“You were snoring.” Gavin offers before Nelson can even ask. It also isn’t really a reason to stare at someone but he lets it go for now.

“I do that sometimes,” he stretches. The clock on the wall explains why he’s feeling so hungry; it’s nearly one in the afternoon. “Say, you want some lunch?”

“You don’t really seem to understand how job commitment works.”

“Maybe, but I _do_ know how stomachs work, and mine is empty.” Right on schedule, Nelson’s stomach growls. He holds out a hand, gesturing to his stomach in a ‘what did I tell you’ manner.

“Clearly, you don’t understand the importance of these pitches.” Gavin holds one up and starts pointing to the page. “Do you see this? This is how businesses make money.” He’s being really patronizing. Nelson frowns. “Without money, businesses die.”

“Cut it out I understand what a pitch is.” 

“Then you know they’re important! I don’t have time to go fuck around the city with you!” He throws the pitch across the room and presses his fingers against this temples. “My choices will either destroy this company or make it grow exponentially. Do you understand?”

During his time at Hooli, during the entire Nucleus debacle and TechCrunch/Disrupt and Peter’s funeral, Nelson has never seen present Gavin as stressed out as young Gavin is right now. Even when Nucleus was a pile of shit, it still couldn’t sink the entire company, Gavin’s legacy will definitely outlive the both of them, but right now? Hooli is just a little tech company with no fancy buildings or a cult-like employee following. And young Gavin doesn’t know that he’s rich and successful in the future. The thought that he could fail is terrifying for him.

“Yeah, I understand.” Well, he doesn’t know how it feels, but he understands that Gavin is stressed about ruining something before it can be great. Will be great. “But I also understand that you are about to lose your shit over this. Maybe I can give you some input? Can’t hurt, and with the added bonus of food.”

Gavin runs a hand through his hair. “Are you asking me to lunch because you intend to buy lunch for _me_ , or because you need me to buy lunch for _you_?”

“Now you’re asking the right question.”

-

Nelson insists Gavin choose where they eat since he is paying and also has the more restrictive diet, although young Gavin doesn’t know that Nelson knows he’s fruitarian/vegan + omelets.

He had no idea Gavin’s dietary choices were so difficult back in 1991, but he can kind of understand. Fruitarian is already pretty unusual on its own, but fruitarian twenty years ago is practically non-existent. Still, Gavin seems to know the people at the cafe they’re sitting at, and they bring him a smaller menu that’s, if not fruitarian, is at least vegetarian. Gavin can demand they cook without dairy or whatever from there.

“So are you doing an all fruit thing or do you eat vegetables too?”

“I’m working on becoming fruitarian.” Where working means he’s only eating fruit this meal, plus one tiny bowl of edamame, which he hasn’t touched. “It’s healthy.”

“Sure,” Nelson snags one of Gavin’s edamame, and he doesn’t protest. He has a feeling Gavin only got them for appearances and continues to pop the seeds? beans? (He’s not sure.) into his mouth. Gavin probably gets enough flack for his diet from his family. “I couldn’t survive on just fruit though.”

“You’d have to eat an entire grove every day,” Gavin comments as he skims another pitch. “Why is it that tech companies can’t articulate what they plan to do? Honestly the incompetence-”

“Can I see?” He’s not going to read it, but he’s bad at segwaying into the fact that he thinks Gavin should fund the pitches he threw in the trash, so this is his only hope. “That is bad.”

“Would you believe it’s not the worst?”

“Ha, yeah at least it’s readable.” He can’t be certain that’s true he didn’t read a word of it. “But hey, um, I,” the waiter brings him a refill and he nods. _Focus._ “So, when I was throwing away my takeout the other day I noticed you threw out some pitches.” Oh he does not look happy about Nelson snooping in his trash. “Gavin?”

“They were rejects.”

“Why?”

Gavin takes a breath. When he finally answers he’s very stern, no, intense, but also quiet. “The idiot that wanted to fund ideas like those is no longer in a position to decide things for this company.”

Oh. It was Peter’s idea.

“That guy that was in the office?” Gavin nods once and shoves a forkful of blueberries into his mouth. “What was wrong with them?”

“They’re overzealous, understaffed, moonshot ideas that don’t have a chance in this Valley.”

Present Gavin doesn’t seem near as put off by the idea of moonshots. Interesting.

“Isn’t that the point of getting funding?”

Gavin sighs, as if he’d explained this a thousand times already today, and straightens in his seat. “Yes, to a point, but you can’t expect a company to offer funding when there’s no hope of it surviving a quarter. What if you came up to my desk and offered to, I don’t know, put cameras in a phone. It’s ludicrous and serves no purpose.”

 _Well actually_ , “but what if their ideas work? Or they become really popular?”

“Well then they better hope some sap comes along with a handout because I’m not going to agree to fund something I have no faith in.” Gavin sits back and deflates; he focuses on taking a few measured bites of his fruit ‘salad’ (It’s a bowl of fruit Nelson’s not an idiot.) before standing. “I’ll be right back. Restroom.”

Right back turns into five minutes, and then nearly ten, and Nelson ‘accidentally’ spills some of his drink onto Gavin’s sweatshirt (The one he stole yesterday, and didn’t change out of yet since he slept at the college.) so he has an excuse to follow Gavin into the bathroom. He finds Gavin leaning on the sink. His hair is sweaty and he’s breathing very slow, in his nose and out his mouth.

“Okay,” Nelson isn’t sure if Gavin actually threw up or if he just looks like he did, but he’s going to guess it’s the former. “Hey man, you’re looking kind of, not awesome in this,” he waves his hand in an all encompassing motion, “area, I’ll be right back,” he quickly slips out of the restroom and hunts down a glass of water. “Here.”

Gavin takes a small drink and spits into the sink. He looks mortified, so Nelson keeps his questions to himself for the time being. Nelson plays the role of dutiful boyfriend even though he and young Gavin are not dating; he knows present Gavin would be appreciative to know he’s being both attentive and playing the ignorance card so Gavin can pretend this isn’t happening.

“Do you want to go home?” Gavin shakes his head. Talking is apparently not something he can do yet. “Well your employees are just going to tell you to go home if you go back to Hooli.”

“I have work.” His voice is scratchy, he takes another drink of water.

“And the flu?” Gavin shakes his head. “Stress?” Gavin seethes at his reflection in the mirror. Bingo. “Come on, give yourself a half day and play catch up over the weekend.”

“I need to get through the pitches.”

“Yeah yeah, you’ve been saying that for _days_. You just got done puking in a restaurant over the whole thing.” Gavin takes a deep breath, probably about to yell, but he closes his eyes instead. Probably another bout of nausea. “Look, you can spare the what, three hours you’d still be at the office today. Let’s just go do something fun or relaxing.”

“One, why would I waste valuable time right now,” Gavin straightens; he’s not looking like he feels better, but he probably wants Nelson to _think_ he feels better. “And two, why would I go with _you_?”

Nelson shrugs. “Stuff’s more fun with more people.” Gavin’s looking skeptical, it’s a step in the right direction. “So I was on the campus near here yesterday and they have this revolving art thing. It has religious art right now I think? Free to the public.”

He knows the free thing isn’t really a factor for Gavin, but the religious has some potential, (Even if he isn’t supposed to know about that yet.) especially if there’s any Buddhist pieces.

_Come on Gavin you know you’re a sucker for Buddha statues._

“What _kind_ of religious art?”

Bingo.

-

The gallery isn’t huge, but it does have some Buddhist artwork, which Nelson tries to subtly steer Gavin towards. But he also doesn’t know if young Gavin is Buddhist yet, or if he’s ever thought about converting at all. He remembers a conversation about Gavin’s father being devout Catholic or something, and also not being a big fan of his son’s diet/religion/job/etc., without even throwing in Gavin being gay. Fun times in the Belson mansion, fun times.

Gavin is wholly disinterested with most of the artwork, and if Nelson’s honest with himself he isn’t that interested either, but when Gavin reaches the small Buddhist section he takes his time. His face finally relaxes, which is good, because while Nelson doesn’t care he’s sure Gavin doesn’t want any forehead wrinkles until he’s at least thirty.

“Usually I prefer Warhol’s work, but this isn’t half bad.” He folds his arms in front of his chest, hands on his elbows and leaning slightly towards one of the statues. “Or those paintings of colored squares.”

“Rothko, right?”

“ _You_ know Rothko paintings?” Nelson shrugs. Present Gavin never really stops talking about/admiring the Rothkos they’ve managed to acquire for their home. And the colors are nice. “I didn’t really expect that.”

“They’re relaxing, like the blue one, with that little red part,” Nelson makes a horizontal line in the air with his finger, “or the gray one. It kind of reminds me of rain.”

“I suppose.”

Nelson’s pretty sure you normally talk about the artwork in front of you and not some other piece across the globe, or in a living room in another time period, but Gavin is looking more and more human as they talk so he doesn’t say anything.  
“If they weren’t so damn expensive I’d have one in my office, or maybe something of Warhol’s. An actual print, not a poster.” Gavin corrects, although Nelson didn’t expect anything less. He’s honestly surprised Gavin would settle for a poster in his bedroom.

“So the one you have is no good?”

“That was given to me.”

Nelson can’t be certain, but if he had to guess who gave Gavin an Andy Warhol poster he would go with either his mom or Peter, and one of them, as of right now, can afford to get an original rather than a poster print. He’s surprised Gavin kept it, especially if he couldn’t stand having a photo of him and Peter around.

He’s beginning to wonder just how close they were.

“Do you know anything about Buddhism?”

The question derails Nelson’s train of thought and he stutters out a ‘no’. It’s not true, he’s heard plenty of things from Gavin (Although some of it sounded a bit off.) and he remembers about seventy… fifty percent of what he’s been told about Gavin’s religion.

Thirty percent.

He knows Gavin is Buddhist.

“I’ve been doing some reading, when I have a free minute or two.”

“Bet dear old dad loves that huh.” Gavin turns towards Nelson, and the distrustful look in his eye makes Nelson fidget. “What?”

“What do you know about my father?”

“Uh, just what your mom said. He’s gone for business or something.” Shit wait Gavin doesn’t know they’ve been talking. “Uh, she let me stay the night? Two nights ago? Yeah. You remember that. Before I went to bed we just talked a little.”

And Gavin has that horribly betrayed look on his face. As if hanging out with his mom is really that bad. Present Gavin’s always had nice things to say about her.

“What?”

“Why are you spending time with my mother?”

“Uh, because she’s nice?” This makes no sense. Why is Gavin so defensive?

Right, she’s his mother. And present Gavin is still ridiculously protective of her, even though she’s been dead since Gavin was in his mid-thirties. He told Nelson once that he’s only really felt strong connections to three people in his life, and first was his mom.

And Nelson’s a stranger that keeps ‘breaking’ into his home and showing up randomly at his place of work. Plus all the things Nelson knows about Gavin and his family without having to be told by young Gavin. He never thought he’d think this, but young Gavin is actually right to be suspicious. Nelson could be some crazy stalker.

He isn’t.

Definitely not.

Mostly not? He did hunt Gavin down that first day. And snuck in his office a couple times.

Okay so it’s sort of like stalking, but not real stalking. It’s more like, Diet Stalking, where his advances are welcome but he’s still kind of following Gavin around without his permission.

Although, he’s fairly certain if Gavin didn’t want him around he would’ve had a strong, and profanity-laden, opinion about the matter.

“It’s still strange for you to spend time with her when I’m not there.”

“Dude your mom _loves_ me.” Present Gavin would be pleased. And then sad. And pleased again.

“She barely knows you. _I_ barely know you.” Nelson shrugs. “I expected this gallery to be a bit more,” he waves his hand, trying to find the word, “it feels like it’s lacking content.”

Nelson nods, and lets Gavin ignore the fact that there are two other rooms of religious art because he’d feigned disinterest at the generic Christian artwork and actually sneered when he saw the Catholic section. They both know they came here for the Buddhist work anyway. “There’s more permanent museums too, you know. Or like, a temple.”

Present Gavin drug Nelson out to the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple a few months ago. The incense made him sneeze and he had to wait outside, but the garden was nice and relaxing to sit in, so the visit wasn’t a waste of time by any means. Although Gavin spent the time (And money.) to find and employ a personal Buddhist priest to hold prayer or whatever it is at the mansion.

Gavin insisted it was so he could go straight from prayer into yoga, but now that there’s no incense Nelson goes with him every once and awhile. Either way Nelson keeps his comments to himself. Not important.

They both know the real reason anyway.

“I haven’t converted or anything,” Nelson can practically feel the ‘but I want to’. “I don’t have the time right now anyway, because of work.”

“Sure,” Nelson starts for the entrance of the gallery, and shortly after he can hear Gavin following. “So, real museum? Food?” Gavin looks vaguely ill at the mention of eating. “Okay so not food.”

“I think doing something quiet is-” he stops talking and walking, and Nelson has to jog back a few steps. “Why are you included in this again?”

“Well I figured you’d tell me to leave if you wanted me to.”

“You are one of _the_ most baffling people I’ve ever met. Who the fuck thinks that way?” Nelson doesn’t shrug, but he does do an ‘I don’t know’ face with one eyebrow up. It’s a shame the term Jim-face is lost on Gavin for another ten years or so. Or longer, since Nelson knows Gavin doesn’t watch TV. “If I ask about your hotel you’re going to tell me you still don’t have one, right?”

“That’s right.” Nelson would stay in a hotel if he had to, but he does not have any money so it’s Gavin’s call.

“Still haven’t sorted out that thing with your bank?” A head shake. Gavin groans. “You haven’t even tried have you?”

“Not even a little.”

Gavin shakes his head. “I’m not certain if you’re manipulative or just an idiot.”

“Jury’s still out,” Nelson starts walking again, this time towards Gavin’s car, and after a few seconds he can hear Gavin chuckle quietly as he starts to follow.

-

Gavin drives them straight to his family’s home. It’s a quiet drive, and a lot farther than Nelson thought; he falls asleep in the passenger seat and doesn’t wake up until Gavin swears and hits the steering wheel.

“Woah what!” Nelson rubs his eyes. Gavin is gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles are white, and as Nelson starts to ask what’s wrong he turns and sees an unfamiliar car in the drive. “Who’s that?”

“You have to go.”

“What now? It’s dinner time.” But he isn’t putting up a big fight. It’s one of those compact cars Nelson can’t name but recognizes as being cheap and kind of shitty, but they still run. His family had one for awhile. “Who is that?”

“No one.” If no one means someone I despise and can't stand, sure.

“It’s not your brother or anything right?” Nelson can’t imagine a Belson owning such a cheap car, even if they don’t live at home anymore.

“I actually wish it was.”

“Can’t I just go through the back or something?”

Gavin doesn’t get a chance to respond, because the front door opens and someone walks out holding a small carrying case. Once he’s closer Nelson recognizes Peter Gregory, and Gavin is already out of the car and storming up to Peter before Nelson can even wrestle himself out of his seat belt.

He’s pretty sure they’re going to start punching each other. They’re both very tense and Gavin’s hands are balled into fists. Gavin is the first to say something, Nelson can’t hear exactly what, but Peter responds quickly, sounding equally as angry.

He’s used to their usual antics of buying things to annoy each other, or sending subtle messages that cost millions, not this knock down drag out fight he thinks he has front row (Car.) seats for.

But after a stare down, and some more colorful insults, Gavin storms the rest of the way to the house and Peter gets in his car to drive away.

“That can’t be good.”

Nelson waits until Peter’s car is gone before unbuckling and walking up to the door, which Gavin left open a crack. He watches Gavin pace back and forth in the foyer, and someone else farther down the hall. It’s Gavin’s mother.

“Peter just needed his toolset, he said he forgot it here.”

Gavin stops by a table with some decorative spheres or eggs or maybe a fancy snow globe, Nelson can’t tell, but he _can_ tell Gavin is sincerely thinking of throwing one of them across the room. He pushes the door open a bit more, and the creak makes Gavin turn around, angry and hurt, but confused as well. Maybe he thought it was Peter again. He turns back around.

“You didn’t call-”

“I called your office, but you were out.” Nelson’s fault. He feels a bit guilty. “You don’t have to try and kill each other just because you’re in the same room.”

Gavin flexes his fingers, takes a deep breath, and on his way to the staircase Nelson watches him grab something (A decorative pillow, thankfully not breakable.) and send it flying across the room with an unsatisfying plop.

Gavin’s mother rubs one temple and walks over to Nelson. “Sorry you had to see that.”

“He’s been kinda stressed out today,” still, seeing Gavin _that angry_ has shaken Nelson up a bit. “Mind if I raid the fridge?”

“Not at all. And, Nelson, if you need to just get out of here while he’s worked up he’ll understand. Probably.”

Okay there was something HUGE between him and Peter.

“I think I’ll stick around.”

She nods and, unexpectedly, pulls Nelson into a quick hug before walking off to some other part of the house. Weird.

He takes a few minutes to quietly make a sandwich and drink a full glass of milk. The house is quiet; either Gavin is far enough away that Nelson can’t hear or he’s started calming down. Nelson grabs a plate to try and avoid making a mess, he’s not actually sure Gavin wants him eating in his room again, and heads upstairs towards Gavin’s room. The top of the stairs and Gavin’s room aren’t that far away, so it’s strange that he hasn’t heard anything yet.

Nelson pushes Gavin’s door open, “hey, do you care if I eat up here? I made a sandwich and… you okay?”

Gavin is sitting on the edge of his bed, and he is definitely not okay. In fact, Gavin crying is probably one of the farthest things from okay. Nelson watches Gavin wipe his eyes, but more tears fall, and then Gavin quickly crosses the room to his bathroom and locks the door with a quiet snick of the deadbolt.


	5. Day 5

Day 5

Nelson falls asleep on Gavin’s bed before Gavin leaves the bathroom, but when he wakes up in the morning Gavin is in bed with him. Four days ago the thought it was weird, but a nice surprise, to wake up before Gavin. Now he’s surprised to wake up beside him at all.

Before Gavin wakes up (And maybe decides he doesn’t want Nelson around today.) he takes a moment to check for the paper in his wallet.

Three days.

He’s not sure if that counts today or not.

He’s either here until Monday or Tuesday, depending on how the hell this paper works. Or whatever brought him back here.

Gavin rolls onto his stomach and buries his face in a pillow. Nelson does what he would normally do with present Gavin; he rolls on top of him and settles in for some more sleep. Gavin tenses, then turns his head to glare. So much for more sleep. “What are you doing?”

“Morning. Say I thought about making some breakfast.”

Gavin is quiet for a moment. “It’s Saturday.”

“Right, and breakfast time, so I thought maybe we could, um.” Gavin is getting that look he gets when he’s about to disappoint someone. “that not going to work?”

“I have a routine I’d rather not disrupt.”

“Oh?” Nelson tries to remember something Gavin always does on Saturdays. _Let’s see, he gets up before me, does some yoga, makes breakfast om- oh._

Saturday.

As in, last day of the week.

As in, the day Gavin and his mother always made omelets together.

Nelson’s one and only chance to join Gavin and his mother on omelet day, but he’s not going to press his luck, but he’s also not going to try and rob Gavin of his tradition, not when he knows their years together are dwindling.

“So you have plans for Saturday? That’s cool. Just toss me an apple or something. I’ll get out of your hair.”

Gavin rolls his eyes. “I’m fairly certain my mother will stop you from leaving even if _I_ tell you to go, so I’m going to invite you to join us so I can at least _pretend_ it was my idea.”

Be still his heart.

But he can’t complain too much, because he’s going to get an omelet in about an hour.

“Cool. I’m going to shower first though. Been,” he looks down at himself, still wearing the same sweatshirt he took from Gavin’s closet and the same jeans he’s worn every day, and feels the stubble on his chin, “a couple days? No, less than that I think.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Eh,” Nelson rolls off Gavin and stretches his legs. “It’s not that bad, see,” he smells his pit and grimaces. Oh yeah he did a lot of walking on Thursday. “I’ll just get in the shower now.”

“No rush.” Gavin rolls into the center of the bed. He tricked Nelson into getting up so he could have the whole bed. _What a jerk._

It’s not like Nelson does to Gavin in the present.

Wait.

He decides to let Gavin get a few more minutes of sleep. Not because he steals the bed back home or anything, but Gavin still looks tired. And he might be asleep again already. And he’s holding the pillow Nelson was using, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.

But it’s still pretty cute.

When he gets in the bathroom Nelson finds one of those fancy glass bottles of cologne Gavin owns, but Nelson never sees him use, broken on the counter and a crack in the mirror. Gavin was obviously upset, but Nelson didn’t think he was _that_ upset. Not enough to break things at least.

He takes his time so Gavin can get more sleep, and when he finally leaves the bathroom in just a towel Gavin is no longer in the room. Nelson tosses his wet towel on the floor and, after snagging some more of Gavin’s clothes, dresses so he can get an omelet without Gavin scolding him.

He’s nearly out the door when he stops and walks backwards until he’s in front of the Warhol poster. It’s almost definitely a gift from Peter. And it looks like Gavin is keeping it despite that, maybe even because it’s from someone he is/was close. Nelson digs out the folder with the thrown out pitches from his backpack and pulls out the photograph of Gavin and Peter. Young Gavin is full of crap; he would definitely regret losing this photo. Carefully, so he doesn’t scratch the photo or make it too obvious that something is different, he pulls the frame forward and sticks the photo in one edge of the back of the frame.

_You’ll thank me for this later._

As he’s putting the folder back he sees a scrap of paper; when he pulls it out to look he discovers it’s his family’s phone number.

He really shouldn’t call again.

Nelson huffs out a breath and grabs the paper. Before he can decide that this is a terrible idea he sits at Gavin’s desk and dials the number. It starts ringing. And keeps ringing.

And he gets a voicemail. Nelson hangs up before it can start giving him instructions.

“Hokay,” Nelson combs his fingers through his hair; his elbows are resting on the edge of the desk. He shakes his head and gets up to go downstairs.

-

Nelson has never felt out of place when food is involved, but watching Gavin and his mother chat while she makes omelets might be the one time he does. Gavin is asking her about work and in return she’s telling Gavin he works too hard. They’re joking around and Gavin’s relaxed and smiling. Nelson keeps his comments to a minimum and focuses on eating all the fruit from the bowl.

They’re definitely avoiding talking about Peter’s visit last night. Nelson is doing his best to not bring up the broken mirror. And the crying, he is keeping his mouth shut about seeing Gavin cry.

“I bet Nelson... take a day off.”

“He doesn’t count, he’s not working- .”

“What?” Nelson plops another banana peel on the counter. “I’m on vacation.”

“Yes, I just said that.” Nelson nods. “Are you going to answer?”

Nelson nods again, hoping that’ll answer whatever question he definitely didn’t hear.

“You weren’t listening were you.” Gavin didn’t really say it like a question. He probably knows the answer.

“I wasn’t completely not listening?”

Gavin’s mother interjects before Gavin can complain, “you think Gavin needs a day off right?”

“More like five.” Gavin quietly kicks him in the shin. Nelson grunts but manages to keep a (Mostly.) straight face. “Or two weeks.”

“See?” She points at Nelson with the spatula. “He understands what I’m talking about.”

“I’m pretty certain he’s just lazy.”

“Hey I am very lazy,” Gavin looks confused, “I’m not denying it but I still get my work done while being lazy, so,” an omelet appears in front of Nelson and he forgoes the argument in favor of food. “Thanks. At least one of the Belsons will feed me.”

Gavin looks so mad at him and his mother’s laughing pretty hard. Nelson holds up his next bite of omelet and Gavin crosses his arms and rests them on the table. He continues to pout until his food appears, but even then he seems reluctant to sit up and allow Nelson and his mother to gang up on him.

“Are you going to at least take some time off after your pitches are due?”

“Oh that’s a good idea.” Gavin’s mother is quick to agree with Nelson, much to Gavin’s dismay. “You talked about that retreat you thought about going to.”

“I don’t remember asking both of you to team up against me.” He manages to eat one of the most delicious omelets Nelson has ever had and still look like he has a stick up his ass. Nelson is impressed. He’s also considering stealing Gavin’s omelet if he isn’t going to appreciate it properly.

One thing is certain, Nelson is going to appreciate Saturday omelets way more now.

Gavin’s mother kisses the top of Gavin’s head as she walks by, impressive because Gavin barely complained, and leaves the two of them alone in the kitchen. If Gavin’s embarrassed about his mother’s little display of affection he doesn’t let it show.

“So, any crazy plans?”

“Apparently you’ve forgotten the part where you made me leave work early yesterday, and I have to finish up some things today.”

“Oh come on that’s not going to take the whole day.”

“You’d be surprised.”

Gavin gets up from the counter, leaving his plate, but Nelson assumes there’s a maid or something because his sandwich plate disappeared. Nelson watches Gavin stretch briefly before he starts walking towards the stairs. He’s nearly across the room when his mother reappears, looking ready to leave the house.

“Gavin, your father’s plane arrives at four and Rob is going to be in town this weekend for some benefit he’s part of. He gets in at two-thirty.”

“Ha, can’t even coordinate landing times?” Nelson remarks. He can feel the tension practically rolling off Gavin and he’s on the other side of the room. Gavin’s mother points to Nelson, in a ‘this kid gets it’ sort of way, and squeezes Gavin’s shoulder once before turning around and leaving.

Gavin is quiet for a few seconds, and then asks Nelson a question without turning around. “You asked if I have some sort of plan for today?”

-

Nelson knew half of the day would still be Gavin working, and he’s sitting around the empty Hooli office bored out of his mind, but afterwards they’re going to do something.

He’s not sure what the something is, but based on Gavin’s reaction to his family being in town it’s something that will take a long time and hopefully last until after his family has gone to bed. Maybe they could go on a drive, visit Berkeley and Nelson can pretend that they definitely don’t live there in the present. Maybe their house isn’t even built yet.

Wait that’s stupid of course it’s been built, but the addition Gavin is planning isn’t there yet. They’re probably still just empty lots.

Come to think of it, nothing Nelson usually does is probably in Berkeley yet.

What the hell does he normally do anyway? He has that hammock out on the porch, that’s relaxing but that’s also definitely not their house. Way too many of his ideas could get him arrested. There’s the marina, but he doesn’t have a boat in this time period, and Gavin said that _his family_ is rich but not him personally, so he probably doesn’t have a boat either. The diner _might_ be open, but Gavin probably wouldn’t agree to drive all that way just for pancakes.

This would be so much easier if Gavin would just agree to go to an arcade with him.

While Gavin reads the last of his pitches Nelson fashions a fort out of the rest of the office’s desk chairs and a couple drop cloths he found in the utility closet. He considers taking a nap in the fort, it’s nice and dark and Nelson didn’t sleep as much as he would’ve wanted, but if he is right about needing to convince Gavin that he’s wrong and should use the pitches he threw away, then he better start planning his argument.

He pulls out the folder, the edges are getting beat up from being shoved into his bag so many times, but the papers inside are still mostly intact. (He spilled some of his soda on one but it’s still readable so it’s fine.) He doesn’t bother to reread them, but he does leaf through the stack to reread the names, all very familiar now and very important.

If he doesn’t convince Gavin that he should back these companies he can kiss the island getaways and cushy rich homebody lifestyle, his relationship, his entire present, goodbye. Nelson pointedly does not consider the possibility for long. It’s too depressing.

It is not going to be easy though, present Gavin is still very guilty of holding grudges, and young Gavin might be even worse at letting things go. Apparently Peter was the one that wanted them in the first place, which feels so backwards for Nelson; he’s used to Gavin always pushing to innovate, create, and be the first at everything, so why isn’t he pushing harder for these pitches?

Nelson probably needs to ask about Peter. It’s not going to be a fun conversation.

The hardest part will be, based off last night, getting Gavin to stay in the room and actually talk instead of just running off. Whatever he and Peter said to each other last night was enough to make him _cry_. And he would rather hide in the bathroom then open up to Nelson, granted a guy he’s only known for less than a week, than let Nelson see him that upset.

Nelson gets as far as ‘ask Gavin about Peter’ and ‘make sure he can’t get away’, which looks way worse written down on a sticky note than it did in Nelson’s head, when he hears footsteps outside his fort. He hides the note in the folder and shoves it back into his bag.

“Nelson I,” he pauses, the footsteps stop, and Nelson can imagine the look of confusion and something he can’t quite place overcoming Gavin’s face. He’d like to think it’s fondness, he knows it would be in the present. He knows once he leaves the fort he’ll be disappointed.

But he can’t stay in there all day. Nelson crawls out and waves. “Hey Gavin.”

And just like he predicted, confusion and something else all over Gavin’s face. Dismay? Distress? Maybe if he squints there’s a tiny shred of fondness at the edges? Maybe he’ll be the reason Gavin gets wrinkles before he’s thirty.

“Three days ago you tried to convince me you’re three years older than I am, and today, while I finish up work at my job, you _build a fort out of chairs_.”

“Uh, yeah,” Nelson turns around and waves an arm at the fort, a half-assed Vana White to showcase his accomplishment for the day. It’s kind of impressive when he remembers all the trouble he went through to get the rolling chairs on the first story to stay put. The office is _maybe_ out of erasers.

He hopes he can get them out from the inside of the wheels.

“So you’re done working?”

Gavin doesn’t look like he knows what to say about Nelson just glazing over the whole chair fort thing. He opens his mouth a few times, obviously trying to figure out what he’s supposed to say next if they’re dropping the fort topic. He asks, “why?”

“Um, well you said we could do something? Or I guess you didn’t say we _weren’t_ doing anything once you got done, and-”

“Not that, the _fort_!” Nelson murmurs ‘oh’ and nods. Yeah present Gavin wouldn’t have let it go either. “ _Why?_ ”

“Have you never built a fort before?” Gavin looks absolutely appalled that Nelson would suggest he do something as “childish” as make a fort. “Were you born forty or is that a recent thing?”

“Maybe I just value my free time enough to participate in more, _age-appropriate_ recreational activities.”

Is that a euphemism or something? “You can have sex in forts you know.”

Okay that is not what Gavin meant. Nelson can feel the back of his neck heat up as Gavin stares at him, wide eyes and mouth open in shock, and Nelson backs up until he bumps into one of the stacks of chairs. “Uh,” there is no way to spin this into something better but he still tries. “I mean they’re pretty roomy if you make them right, and I’ve gotten good at making them sturdy, so, yeah. Fort sex.”

Oh no Gavin’s blushing that’s really cute. He’s barely seen present Gavin blush, usually Gavin hides when he gets embarrassed, but Nelson’s still seen it a couple times and Gavin definitely grew out of the thing young Gavin is doing now. He’s rubbing a hand over his cheek; oh crap he’s trying to make it stop being red and it’s making it worse.

It’s doubtful young Gavin is up for some office sex. He freaked out about Nelson just _talking_ about sex at Hooli.

Maybe if he knew the door was locked? “You’re the only one with keys right?”

“That. Is not. Happening. _Ever_.” Oh if he only knew. Nelson chuckles. “What’s so goddamned funny?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

“I’m being serious. I’m not going to do _any_ fucking at work.” The left side of Nelson’s mouth quirks up into a smile and he nods. “If you don’t stop that-”

“Say it’s way past lunchtime right?” Gavin blinks. “You hungry?”

Gavin closes his eyes and takes a breath. And another. “Not particularly, but you’re going to tell me you’re starving, and let me guess, you’re out of money.”

“Yeah basically.” He blames Galaga. “We could always go to that market thing I found.”

-

At the market Nelson manages to convince Gavin to pay for his lunch (Three gyros and a Coke.) and in exchange Nelson leads Gavin around to all the places with fruit. Gavin’s face actually lights up when he sees those weird green bananas.

There’s definitely a joke in there about Gavin preferring the starchy, hard bananas over the sweet, soft ones, but Nelson keeps it to himself.

“So,” Nelson takes a moment to swallow and rinse his mouth with soda, “what’s the plan?”

“It’s nearly two,” Gavin turns his wrist to look at his watch, something he’ll replace with his prayer beads and that leather bracelet thing, and grumbles, “my brother’s going to be here soon.”

“Is that a, I’m happy I get to see him again’ kind of thing or a really unhappy ‘fuck my life’ kind of thing?” He’s met Rob 4 once in passing, and he and Gavin spent the entire time arguing with each other. Rob 4 reminds Nelson of Rob 3, and after getting to know Gavin’s mother, he can see where Gavin got at least some of his personality from, and he’s glad it’s not from his father.

“He’s a fucking idiot. My father loves him.”

And there’s that sibling resentment Nelson never got to personally experience, but he gets plenty of it second-hand back home.

“What’s he do?” It’s one of the first genuine questions Nelson’s asked, because he genuinely forgot. Something to do with politics.

“He’s an intern in DC. Or possibly a lobbyist, although he announced intent to run for office. You won’t see me voting for that prick unless I’m at fucking gunpoint.”

Well it sounds like things aren’t that much different between them during any time period.

“So that’s a definite no on going back to see him?”

“I would rather vote for him.” Nelson understands; he’s seen how unhappy and downright uncomfortable Gavin is around his older brother. “I have an idea, get in the car.”

-

Nelson thought they were going to go hang out somewhere in Palo Alto, but Gavin keeps driving until they’re on the highway heading north. “Are you kidnapping me?”

“Is that your way of saying you don’t want to go on a drive?” Gavin glances at Nelson briefly before looking back at the road. “It’s only two hours. You can sit still that long right?”

“Ha. Ha.” _I’ll show you_. He’s not actually sure he can sit that long but he can try. Nelson reclines his seat back. “If you mean take a nap, sure I can manage.” Gavin frowns but doesn’t reply. “Unless you want some company.”

Gavin shrugs. Well, he did want to get Gavin cornered before he brought up Peter. Might as well jump right into it now.

“So uh, who is Peter anyway?”

Gavin doesn’t swerve, he doesn’t pull over and stop, he just stares out the windshield with a blank face. It’s scarier than if he had started yelling.

“He doesn’t matter.”

“Okay well,” Nelson fiddles with his seat belt, “it just feels like it matters, since, well, after last night-”

“It’s none of your _fucking_ business.”

“Okay, sure.” If Gavin wasn’t going to kidnap him before he will now. He’s only here for three more days, if he’s royally fucked this up and Gavin leaves him stranded somewhere he should be alright.

They continue down the road in a horribly uncomfortable silence. Neither of them tries to break it with any sort of small talk. Nelson settles on drumming his fingers on the edge of his seat, but doesn’t take very long for the silence to be too much for him. As Gavin pulls onto highway 80 Nelson turns on the radio, and cringes when it’s nothing but static. Gavin sighs and switches it to whatever CD he has in the car.

Of course it’s Queen.

“You really like these guys huh?”

“It’s better than whatever garbage you probably listen to.” Nelson starts humming along with the song. “So you _do_ listen to Queen?”

“Sometimes.” Whenever Gavin drives them somewhere. It’s a very rare area of overlap in their preferences. They have to capitalize unless Nelson plans on sleeping the whole way. “You probably don’t know about most of the stuff I listen to.”

And, in this time period, most of it doesn’t exist.

“Well it probably isn’t very good music then.”

 _Oh you little shit._ “Well I’m pretty sure I could change your mind but I don’t have it with me.” Gavin smirks. Nelson wants to smack the smug look off his face. But he knows in the present he has, in fact, gotten Gavin to enjoy some of his music. A future victory is still a victory.

“So if this isn’t a kidnapping, where _are_ we going?”

“Calistoga.”

Nelson blinks. “Okay that means nothing to me.”

“My family has a cottage in wine country. It’s boring as fuck but if the alternative is being around _them_ ,” Nelson never thought he’d think of the word them as a swear but Gavin has his ways, “it’s preferable over being in Palo Alto.”

“So it’s like a vacation.”

“I suppose,” Gavin reply is very guarded. He’s getting that skeptical, who the hell are you look again.

“So we’re taking your mom’s advice?”

Gavin scowls. “I still have my work with me.”

And Nelson knows there’s a big difference between bringing work along and actually _doing_ it, so he just nods and decides not to push Gavin one way or the other. If he works, fine. At least they’re going somewhere quiet and relaxing. And if he doesn’t work, added bonus of Gavin maybe not ending up with an ulcer before he’s thirty.

Plus, there’s no one there to walk in on them, so that could lead to some fun activities.

Gavin doesn’t bring up any new topics and Nelson starts dozing in the passenger seat. He’s aware of the song change, he’s always been fond of ‘Somebody to Love’ and when he opens one eye to peek at Gavin he has to hide his smile when he notices Gavin quickly turning his head away with a blush spreading across his cheeks.

-

He only sleeps for an hour. Nelson stretches as much as the seat belt will allow and makes a mental note about the spa they just passed by, because a massage sounds perfect right now.

“I was going to try and leave the car quietly and see how long it took you to wake up,” _well thanks Gavin that’s super thoughtful_ , “but you had to fuck it up by being awake.”

“Yeah, well,” Nelson’s kind of impressed Gavin’s comfortable enough to mess with him but he’ll think about that later, “see what happens when _you_ go to bed.”

If there’s only one thing Nelson can manage to do better than Gavin, staying up later than Gavin is that thing. He just doesn’t know what comes next.

“I’ll take my chances.” Gavin pulls into the driveway of a small cottage and digs a garage door button out of his glove box. After he parks, turns off the car, and closes the garage door he sits in the driver’s seat for a minute with his eyes closed.

“Hey, you okay?” Gavin quietly unbuckles both of their seat belts before basically dragging Nelson across the middle console and into his lap. _Okay he’s probably fine._ “Gav-fuck,” he hits his head on the roof of the car, not what he intended, but it does get Gavin to stop for a couple seconds. “There’s probably a bed like, right through that door.”

“You’ll proposition me in an office, where anyone can fucking waltz in, but a car is a pass for you?”

“Okay you obviously have no idea how cramped this is so let me just,” he tries to turn around to reach the door and hits the horn, “shit! _See?_ This is stupid.”

Gavin’s response is to recline the seat way back, which, okay, it’s more room but there’s still a bed about fifty feet away. Nelson opens his mouth to protest but before he can Gavin pulls him down and kisses him. Okay maybe he’ll just think his protests very loudly.

-

Nelson finishes his shower first, and while Gavin is still in the bathroom he wanders around the cottage. It’s not really what Nelson thinks of when he hears the word cottage, there’s a pool and three bedrooms (Parents, Rob 4, and Gavin.), and whenever Nelson’s family goes up to one of those rental cottages on the lake he always has to sleep on a pull out couch. Gavin’s room, at least the room he thinks is Gavin’s based on a genuine Warhol and one of the covers of TIME that has Steve Jobs on it, has a king sized bed that Nelson is definitely going to try and steal tonight.

Apparently no one ever comes up here because the fridge is empty. Nelson mopes around the door to the bathroom until Gavin appears. “What the hell is the matter with you now?”

“There’s no food.”

Gavin takes a deep breath. “Why am I not surprised that’s the reason.”

“I can always cook if we have actual food,” but Gavin waves him off and starts making a phone call.

In less than a half hour Gavin’s gotten food delivered from a local restaurant, one Nelson’s fairly certain normally never delivers, and they eat out on the back porch while Nelson dangles his legs in the pool. It’s the warmest pool he’s ever been in and it’s very tempting to tear off his clothes and jump in, neighbors and Gavin’s apparent modesty be damned.

“You’re going to have to explain why this pool is so awesome and warm, and get me some trunks because otherwise I’m going skinny dipping.”

“At my father’s insistence, the pool is connected to the hot springs in the area, and at least leave your underwear on for fucks’ sake.”

Nelson shrugs and sets aside his plate and stands long enough to pull off his shirt and pants before sliding into the pool. “Holy crap that is awesome.”

“It’s the only decent thing about this place,” _plus the privacy_. Nelson’s fairly certain this place is Gavin’s go to place when he needs some alone-time.

“And here you are still hanging out on the porch.”

“I’m going to look over the pitches one more time.” He tricked Nelson again damn it. Getting him all comfortable and warm and in the pool so he can’t stop Gavin from working.

“Want to hear what I think one more time?” Gavin looks genuinely surprised at the offer. “You’re going to work on them anyway, might as well get another opinion.”

While Gavin goes inside to get his work Nelson walks his plate of food over to the, unfortunately, deeper end of the pool. He has to hang onto the side with one hand if he doesn't want to stay on tip toes the entire time.

“Alright,” Gavin spreads the pitches out on the patio table, “first, I think-”

“What’s so wrong with the moonshot pitches?”

Gavin sighs. “We’ve been through this already.”

“Yeah yeah they’re poorly worded or understaffed or whatever.” There is no way present Gavin would ever forgive himself if he didn’t back these companies. He has to do something. “But the other companies are so boring and safe. It’s like, the same pitch with different words a hundred times.”

“Fifteen.”

“Not the point,” Nelson twirls up a forkful of pasta while he tries to think, “it’s like, I think they’re so safe that they’re unsafe? They’re super forgettable.”

And, not that Gavin can know, none of them are real companies in the present.

“Safe money is better than no money,” Gavin picks up one and tosses it back onto the pile without bothering to leaf through the packet. “And if I choose wrong I don’t have a buffer. My company will go bankrupt.”

“Well, Peter chose those for a reason right?” Gavin’s fork screeches against the plate. “Can you just forget whatever baggage you have with him for ten minutes and look at those pitches again?”

Gavin doesn’t answer right away, and when he does he sounds very reluctant to comment. “I’m not certain I can.” Okay Nelson didn’t really think too hard about this before but he’s almost certain they were a couple. He’s never seen someone get hung up on losing a _friend_ this bad. “Even if I did agree to entertain his stupid ideas, I can’t. I threw them out days ago.”

Nelson doesn’t say anything as he struggles out of the pool, shivers briefly when the cool night air hits his bare chest, and rushes inside to grab his folder. He holds it on the very edge of the top corners to try and not get them wet. “Here.”

Gavin flips open the folder and, as Nelson expected, the first thing he does is grumble about Nelson digging through his trash. He pulls the crinkled papers out and sets them on the pile.

“What the fuck did you do to these?”

“I read them,” and only spilled on one of them, so he’s honestly kind of proud of their condition. Nelson slides back into the pool. At this rate he’s not leaving until summer. “I think it’s like, their ideas seem crazy but they’re also innovative? Who wants the same old tech forever?” Gavin doesn’t reply. “Just try to forget about Peter choosing them, pretend they came to you directly.”

“They _did_. That’s the entire concept. Needy fuckers come to the guys with money, and the guys with money use them like fucking target practice and shoot down the ideas that won’t work.”

“Forget the part where I don’t know how this works and just, I don’t know, pretend Peter was never involved. Give them another look.”

Gavin rubs his eyes. “I’ll think about it.”


	6. Day 6

Day 6

Right before he falls asleep, well after midnight because Gavin got a little handsy while they were in the pool and Nelson figured he should probably shower again, Nelson pulls his wallet out of his pants pocket and checks for the scrap of paper. Not that he doesn’t expect it to be there, but he’s a little curious if it’s changed yet since it is, technically, the next day.

He pulls it out and holds it close enough that he can make out the words ‘three days’ on the paper.

“Weird,” he mumbles. Gavin hums beside him and tries to spread out further, the bastard. Stealing the bed is Nelson’s job. He slips his wallet back into his pants and does a quick barrel roll to steal most of the covers before facing Gavin and settling in for the night.

-

Nelson wakes up with his face buried in the comforter and an arm wrapped around his waist.

He turns around, smushes his face against Gavin’s chest, and goes back to sleep.

-

This time, when Nelson wakes up he stays awake, although he does put in a few extra minutes of just lying still with his cheek pressed against Gavin’s chest. It’s close, but it’s still not the same, and Nelson’s feeling more than a little homesick for his own time period.

The phone starts ringing, interrupting Nelson while he was trying to collect himself for the day and causing Gavin to startle and send him rolling back to his half of the bed. He sits up and watches Gavin grumble as he reaches over to the nightstand and picks up the telephone.

“Hello?” His voice is a bit raspy until he clears his throat. “Calistoga. Um-hum.” He rolls so he’s propped up against the headboard. Nelson drapes himself over Gavin; he doesn’t push Nelson away, but there’s no hand in his hair, no rubbing his back or neck. Present Gavin would’ve already figured out it’s an off day and offered to make him some breakfast, or at least put an arm around him.

He’s not asking for much he just wants a damn hug.

“Is this a suggestion or are you telling me I’ll be back for dinner?” Nelson can’t quite tell who’s on the phone with Gavin but his best guess is Gavin’s mother. “I think I’d rather get my teeth pulled.”

Nelson knows Gavin isn’t ignoring him to be spiteful or mean; he’s on the phone and it’s early and, as of today, they still haven’t known each other for a full week. But once the thought’s there it’s hard to shake, but at least he knows _why_ he’s upset this morning, which is an improvement to those days when he woke up feeling gross and tired with no idea why.

He hasn’t had one of those days in a long time.

His eyes are starting to water, not enough to actually cry, but enough that Gavin would notice if he looked, so Nelson turns so his face is against Gavin. “Not really, more of a,” Nelson doesn’t mean to, but he sniffles, “hold on. What are you doing?”

It takes Nelson a little while to figure out the question was directed at him. He shakes his head. It’s not important; he’ll snap out of it after a shower or some good old fashioned crying. Nelson just wishes he could go home _today_ instead of two days from now.

“What? It’s only two hours, I can leave after lunch,” Gavin sighs, and an arm wraps around Nelson’s shoulders. He clings to Gavin’s torso and turns his head so he’s looking out the window. It’s mostly a blur, but it’s a bright sunny day already, which is nice. “I might have some company. You’ve alre- _yes_ , him, he’s just a…” Gavin’s obviously failing to think of a cover.

“Business partner?” Nelson suggests. It’s not great, she’s seen them both way too early in the morning to actually believe that.

“... Potential business partner. Yes, _only_ a business partner.” Gavin’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink. Nelson kind of wants to know how long Gavin’s mother has had Gavin figured out, but so far Nelson’s not sure Gavin even admits that he’s gay to himself, let alone others.

Current position notwithstanding. Gavin is excellent at denial, even if he’s actively contradicting himself.

Gavin chats for a few more minutes, begrudgingly assuring his mother that, yes, he’ll be there for dinner, but no, he will not enjoy being there. Also, fun footnote, he’s driving them back so they get there right on time, so Nelson’s guessing he has some sort of plan for the rest of the day.

He’d be fine if the plan was just ‘stay in bed until we have to go’ because this is the closest he’s felt to normal since waking up in 1991. Young Gavin is fine, but Nelson misses sucking at yoga with Gavin in the morning and his tortoise eating flowers in the garden (Or the other tortoise Gavin insists isn’t his but come on Nelson would never name a tortoise Pete when there’s other, better names like Skittles or Oreo.) and sitting around by the picture window with the overly sweet tea Gavin found for him to try and help Nelson cut back on caffeine.

And it’s not young Gavin’s fault, but he doesn’t love Nelson.

They never talk about Gavin’s relationship with Peter in the present. Nelson’s of the opinion that it’s Gavin’s past, and therefore his personal business, and who he may have been with doesn’t really matter. If he felt comfortable and wanted to share, Nelson would listen, but he’s also not going to pry.

But it really does explain a lot about them. The feuds, spending literal millions to bother one another, Gavin getting teary eyed at the funeral; they dated, and whatever caused their falling out led to a lifelong rivalry.

And from what Nelson can tell that falling out was fairly recent if they’re still yelling at each other and spitting up assets.

He can’t imagine being angry at someone for half his life. He’s barely angry for twenty minutes, forget twenty _years_.

Trying to wrap his mind around Gavin and Peter’s feud makes his head hurt, so he abandons that train of thought in favor of just lying against Gavin with his eyes closed. He knows better than to pretend he’s home, it’s what got him in this funk in the first place, but Gavin’s arm around him helps.

After a few minutes Gavin clears his throat, “I had _assumed_ you would suggest we go to breakfast soon, but apparently I was wrong.”

“Not feeling it right now.” His stomach’s not great at handling a lot when he’s upset, but the lack of caffeine in his morning is going to lead to an impressive headache if he doesn’t at least have some tea. He’s not looking forward to a migraine.

Gavin fidgets with the edge of the comforter. “My mother always insists we visit this local bakery when we’re up here. Their selection for me is absolute shit, but I’m sure _you’d_ find something.”

It’s still not the same, but he appreciates the effort. “Yeah, maybe.”

-

By something Gavin probably meant the turnovers, which do look good, but Nelson is not ready to handle the sweet filling, so he settles on getting a croissant.

Correction, present Gavin would know he would like the turnovers. He’s not really sure what young Gavin’s logic behind the bakery is aside from the general concept of ‘it has food and Nelson likes food’.

But Nelson has to give him credit for trying to cheer him up.

“So uh,” he grimaces at the bitter taste of his coffee, but it was a latte or nothing, and he can stomach a bad taste if it means he’ll keep the headache at bay, “what’s the plan?”

“Well, _I_ have to have dinner with my family at six. _You_ are free to do whatever you damn well please.” Gavin glances up from the table top at Nelson, and looks back down at his hands. He’ll never ask Nelson to go, but Nelson can tell that Gavin wants someone on his side to be there with him.

“Your mom’s pretty cool, I think I can manage.” He survived the first awkward dinner with Rob 3 and 4, he can do it again. “Are there any crib notes I should remember?”

Gavin rolls his eyes. “I could write a fucking novel. Here’s a good thesis: Do you have an opinion? Now you don’t.”

Well that’s a lot less amusing than the, ‘just ignore the part where they’re assholes and we’ll have sex in the guest bedroom tonight’ that Gavin told him before the first dinner together. “Okay so just, what? Talk about the weather?”

“No they hate small-talk.” Oh good. “My brother is going to shove his new-found political status in your face, apparently he’s here because he accepted a job in DC, some low ranked Republican lackey, but my father is _thrilled_. Also he probably won’t stop mentioning his wife, who isn’t completely horrible but she’s also not coming to be a buffer, because lo and behold she’s pregnant.” There’s that ‘dad only cares because Rob 4 is in politics and a wife/children’ thing. “My father is of the opinion that my brother is a fucking saint, and they’re going to repeat each other about his success in a ‘legitimate career field’ without _outwardly_ saying technology is shit, so get ready for that.”

“Well that sounds shitty.” And unfortunately it’s also true. He would rather hire a stripper than sit through too many meals with the Robs.

“The only bright side is my mother insists on bringing out some of the better wine bottles, but for fuck’s sake try to not get too sauced and say something stupid.”

Gavin has no faith in his ability to hold his alcohol.

He is completely justified in thinking this though Nelson’s terrible at drinking.

Nelson knows he’s not really ready to deal with how awkward dinner is going to be tonight, but Gavin’s been through a lot and Nelson wants to be there for him. “So what _can_ we talk about?”

Gavin fiddles with the face of his watch, “honestly, if you know anything about sports or ‘manly activities’ I’d go with that. Otherwise just nod and keep eating.”

“Now _that_ is something that I can handle.” He dumps another two sugar packets into his latte, desperate to make it taste better. “And if I need to I’ll pretend to pass out or something if things get too awkward.”

“ _When_ ,” Gavin corrects. He takes a sip of his tea. “Honestly, _I_ don’t want to be there, I don’t see how you’ll get anything positive out of this experience.”

“I have no money, can’t drive, and everyone I know is-” he nearly slips, but hides it with a cough. “Um, not here. So, you know, it’s this or sit around bored.”

“Well at least I can promise it won’t be a boring dinner, although I doubt that’s a good thing.”

-

Nelson’s about ten minutes into what he expects will be an hour long shower when Gavin just barges right in and pulls back the door. “You can’t say anything about this.”

He genuinely has no idea what Gavin is talking about. He can’t even get himself to ask, he’s just standing there with a big glob of body wash in his hand and water hitting his face. Gavin huffs and looks away. “You _know_ what I mean.”

“Uh, not really. At all.” He’s not sure if he should continue washing himself or not. Normally when Gavin shows up in the bathroom it’s to join him, but that doesn’t look like it’s happening.

“This _thing_ , the,” he waves his hand at Nelson, and whispers ‘oh’. Right. Gavin is closeted. No, present Gavin is closeted. Younger Gavin is a whole other thing entirely. “You _know_.”

Nelson smirks. “Know what?”

“Nelson! I’m being _fucking_ serious!”

“Okay okay,” he splashes a bit of water at Gavin, who goes from furious to sputtering and shock very quickly, “I won’t say anything.”

Gavin crosses his arms and pouts, obviously butthurt about being splashed but apparently fine enough to continue ogling Nelson while he’s standing naked in a stream of hot water.

Still, Nelson makes a mental note to keep his mouth shut about their sexual exploits from the past week. Gavin’s obviously in the part of his life where he’s actively fraternizing with guys but still very much in denial about being gay, a phase present Gavin is a bit embarrassed to admit he went through. But it means Nelson cannot, in any way, suggest that Gavin is gay while he’s in the same state as his father.

“So are you just going to stand there and watch me or what?”

Or what, apparently, because as soon as Nelson finishes asking Gavin closes the shower door and walks out of Nelson’s field of vision. Nelson salvages the body wash still in his hand and continues his shower.

Or, he was going to, but Gavin sans clothing reappeared in front of the shower door and he can’t really get himself to move.

 _Or what._ Gavin hops right in and Nelson’s certainly not going to complain about having a shower guest.

-

The water doesn’t stay warm near as long as it does back home, and while Nelson’s feeling a bit better in general he’s also hyper aware of all the differences in 1991.

Right now, they’d normally be in bed, or maybe Gavin managed to drag him outside to the beach so they can sit around like old people, or sometimes they’re just waking up and getting ready to enjoy a weekend away in Chicago or New York or wherever they decided to run off to this time.

Instead he wasn’t hungry enough for a big breakfast before, so now he’s already starving and lunch is two hours away, the shower wasn’t near as long as he hoped, and Gavin’s driving them _somewhere_ again, but he won’t say where.

Also, he’s starting to miss Radiohead, but he’ll never tell present Gavin that.

“Say I saw this spa place on the way in. if you want, I don’t know, a massage or something.”

“Not today, I have something in mind.”

“Okay then.” Nelson props his feet up on the dashboard, ignoring Gavin’s glare, and stares out the window. “So _this_ is the part where you kidnap me. Always thought it would be at night, you know? Or maybe I’m in the trunk with a blindfold or a paper bag.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Gavin swats at Nelson’s feet and he puts them down, but he’s not happy about it, “and keep your feet off the dash.”

“So you’re _sure_ this isn’t a kidnapping?”

“Why the _fuck_ would I kidnap someone like you?” Nelson shrinks in the passenger seat. “Nelson-”

“If you want me to leave you alone I will.” He’ll have a miserable couple of days alone in this time period but he can manage. “Seriously don’t like, force yourself.”

“Nelson, you’ve followed me around, shown up at my office unannounced multiple times, dug through my trash,” he really can’t let that one go can he, “you’ve successfully attached yourself to my life like some weird, time-sucking leech. I don’t have a _chance_ to even consider kidnapping you because you’re _always around_.”

Nelson looks up at Gavin, who is resolutely staring out the windshield. “What’re you saying all that for?”

He knows he gets clingy. It’s nothing new. He’s so lucky Gavin enjoys all the attention.

“If I didn’t want you around you’d know.”

“Oh,” Nelson straightens up in his seat a little. “So you’re saying you _want_ me around.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Okay,” Nelson smiles, but he looks out the passenger window so Gavin doesn’t see. “So this place... Where are we going?”

“Palo Alto.”

“It’s not dinner time.”

“I didn’t say we were going to my home.”

Gavin doesn't offer any more information for the rest of the drive, so Nelson decides to give up on trying to pry information out of Gavin and does the only thing he ever manages to do well in cars; he falls asleep.

-

And this time Nelson wakes up alone in the car.

 _That fucker actually left me in here._ He’s barely unbuckled his seat belt and put his hand on the door when it swings open for him and he nearly falls onto the sidewalk.

“Pity.” _What the fuck was he planning?_ “Well, if you’re hungry I suggest you join me.”

Nelson rubs his face and steps out of the car. “Where are we?”

Apparently, a burger place, based on the food Nelson sees along the wall of the drive in. Nelson orders a burger and a shake before he’s fully awake and remembers the whole, he’s poor thing, but Gavin shows up beside him with a twenty dollar bill and a very weary look on his face.

“Hey, you _know_ I can’t get to my money right now.”

“Next you’re going to ask me to buy you a plane ticket.”

“Ha, nope, already got one of those.” At least he hope he does, because otherwise it’s going to be really awkward in two days. Gavin doesn’t say anything, but he does scuff one of his shoes against the pavement. That’s weird, Gavin actually looks a bit disappointed. “What, thought I couldn’t manage to be responsible?”

“Based on your track record,” Gavin trails off as his change is handed back. “You can’t bring that inside, and you’re not eating in my car.”

Nelson is about to ask ‘inside where’ when he recognizes the building across the alleyway. It’s the arcade, the one that currently has ten dollars worth of his quarters in the Galaga machine. He knew younger Gavin had to like arcades because present Gavin is absolutely bonkers, in his own way, over his collection of machines and all the high scores he’s earned.

And he and Peter used to frequent this particular arcade often.

“Thought you didn’t want to come here before?”

“I had work to do.” And some pretty intense bitter feelings towards Peter. Arcades must’ve gotten caught in the crossfire of their breakup.

“If you try to do work while we’re here I’m going to unplug the machines with your high scores.”

He’s not even sure if that actually wipes the scores but Nelson’s sure he could manage if he put a little effort into it, and Gavin seems put off by the idea enough to leave his work in the back seat of the car. That’s something to remember when he gets back; he could probably get Gavin to play hooky from work at least once a week with that threat.

As long as he actually gets Gavin to back the right companies so they have a job to play hooky from.

He follows Gavin into the arcade and watches him walk over to the shooter games he always insists on co-oping in the present. They’re fun enough, Nelson enjoys them when he’s in the right mood, but he’s absolutely terrible at them and Gavin usually has to carry them for most of the game.

But he does remember a time, back before they’d even actually started dating, when Gavin stood behind him with his hands over Nelson’s, helping him practice headshots and timing his reloads. He learned quick enough, but he definitely told Gavin he needed a few extra attempts with his help so he’d keep his arms around him. Sometimes he still helps Nelson with his aim, but the sessions definitely have a different feel, and Nelson can count on one hand the number of times they actually managed to stay focused and continue playing the game instead of slinking off to the nearest bed or other bed-like surface.

There is no chance of any form of that happening here in a public arcade, but now that the thought’s in his head Nelson decides to ignore the shooters for a little while, just to cool off a bit.

Besides, he really wants to leave behind a high score in Galaga.

Except, he has no money. He would ask Gavin for some, but he does feel a little bad going through that hundred so quickly when Gavin’s not rich yet. A hundred is nothing in the present, given Gavin’s habit of buying things worth at least ten times that on a whim. But younger Gavin’s stressed about Hooli’s funding, and he’s living with his parents. Maybe he’s broke, or at least not crazy rich.

He’s kind of curious what constitutes broke in Gavin’s mind. He’ll have to ask when he gets home.

“Are you just going to creep around the arcade the whole time?”

Nelson shakes his head; he didn’t realize he’d dazed out until Gavin said anything. “What?”

“The machine I wanted to use is taken, some asshole trying to beat the high score Pete-Peter, got. It’s not going to happen, he’s a fucking savant, but they’re determined.” And give Gavin an excuse to not play a game his ex was apparently super good at but sure, determined works. “Street Fighter is open though.”

Street Fighter’s not Nelson’s first choice for a game, but it’s an improvement from the shooters because he can mash buttons and not die immediately. And if younger Gavin is as good as older Gavin, then things should go alright.

Except whenever his elbow brushes against Gavin he flinches; Nelson has no idea what the hell is wrong with him. He watches Gavin look over his shoulder and the tiny, almost silent sighs of relief.

 

Nelson looks across the arcade and he's pretty sure he sees why Gavin's on edge. Peter's here, at one of the platformers Nelson remembers by name, but he's not patient enough to play a game that have platforms that move. He's not sure Gavin noticed Peter, because otherwise he's pretty sure they would've already left so Gavin can fume somewhere else.

 

“Say, um, I'm going to go to the bathroom.” Gavin nods. “Be right back.”

 

This is a terrible idea. “Say,” he taps Peter on the shoulder, and he turns while still jumping through the level. “Woah, you're good at that.”

 

“The pattern is simple.” He jumps onto a very thin platform without a problem. Nelson has never felt so incompetent at video games in his life. “Why are you speaking to me?”

 

“Oh uh, you know Gavin, right?” And Peter does the one thing Nelson doesn't expect, he misses a jump. “Right, stupid question. Sorry. I should go.”

“He sent you over to spy on me?”

“No, no way, he doesn't even know you're here.” But if he doesn't get back soon that might change. Peter turns back to the console and restarts the level. “So, I'm going to go, but-”

“You met him how, exactly?”

“Uh, business stuff. I do like, big picture ideas, and stuff like that.”

Peter looks back at Nelson. “He called you in?”

“Yes?” His only other option is to tell the truth and admit that he and Gavin are having sex and generally fucking around together, and even though he's nearly one hundred percent certain Peter and Gavin were a couple he doesn't want to risk outing Gavin to someone he's angry with. “He has some pitches and there's a lot of them so...” he trails off, not really sure what he should say. “Yeah.”

Peter turns back to his game, and it looks like he's done talking to Nelson, based on the concentration he's giving his game. Nelson starts to walk away when he hears Peter say, “the ones I recommended will work best.”

“What?”

“The pitches,” he enunciates, sounding a bit annoyed Nelson isn't on the same page. “They're innovative, the ones I chose.”

“Yeah, that's what I said,” he's kind of proud of that. Sure, he knows they work, but he'd like to think he would have figured out that they sounded better if he actually read them word for word. “You mean that, right? You think they'll be successful?”

“I _know_ they will.” He turns to his game again. “I am done talking with you.”

Nelson nods even though Peter's attention is fully on his game again. Peter, despite whatever happened between them, sounds like he wants Gavin to be successful. Or it's an elaborate ruse to get Gavin to fail, but Nelson hopes it's the former, because otherwise he knows less about the tech world than he thought.

He doubles back towards the restroom in case Gavin looks for him, but when he gets to the console he finds Gavin _intensely focused_ on winning, and when he taps on Gavin's shoulder he has to hold in a laugh when Gavin yelps.

-

“Remember, we're business partners.”

“Yep, and I'm in town because of joint funding or whatever,” it's a shame practice didn't help Gavin learn how to _actually_ stab people with his looks, but he's already perfected his angry glare at twenty-four, which is pretty impressive for a guy who's super unsure of his future. “I'm a tech guy from Canada and you wanted some advice moving forward. If you're right it won't even matter because your dad's going to monopolize the conversation anyway. It'll be a cakewalk.”

Gavin doesn't look so sure, but they don't get a chance to argue before Gavin's mother is calling for them from the foyer.

Nelson's still not sold on his shirt he borrowed from Gavin, it's way too big so he had to wear a shirt underneath and leave the top unbuttoned, but it's nicer looking than all of his shirts, and he's not wearing the shirt Gavin thought was a girl's that he was wearing when he first got here.

He sees a much younger Rob 3 and 4 than he remembers sitting at the dining room table, both engrossed newspapers. Gavin takes a seat and motions for Nelson to take the seat at the end of the table opposite Rob 3, saving the last open seat for his mother, between Gavin and Gavin's father.

Oh crap there's wine glasses on the table he's fucked.

Quietly, Nelson frantically tries to remember some of the nicer table manners Gavin tried to cram into his head before one of their many benefit dinners or dinner outings with Rob 4 of the present, but all he can think is to keep his mouth shut and hope he uses the right fork. Gavin unfolds a napkin and puts it on his lap and Nelson follows along, quietly draping the fabric over his knees to, hopefully, keep his one pair of pants as clean as possible.

He should have let Gavin send out his laundry but it's too late now.

Neither Rob has noticed Nelson's presence, and they continue looking at their papers until Gavin's mother enters the room and politely coughs to get their attention. They both put down their papers, Nelson has an immediate aversion to being across from Rob 3 as he's now staring confusedly at the person opposite him, Nelson, but he doesn't say anything as Mrs. Belson introduces him. “Rob, this is Nelson. He's a-”

“Business consultant,” Gavin offers, taking a drink from his wine the second it's been filled.

“From Canada,” Nelson adds for no reason other than trying to fill the awkward silence. He decides talking is horrible and also takes a sip of wine. It's really good, and not very dry, and he knows he's going to end up getting drunk if the rest of the meal is this awkward.

Rob 3 hums and sets his paper aside. “Canada.” Maybe that's a bad thing but Nelson has no idea. “No one in the US managed to keep you going?”

Oh crap it's already started. “Rob,” Gavin's mother scolds him, but the damage is done. Gavin's already sitting lower in his chair. “Wasn't there some conference you were attending Nelson?”

“Oh, yeah, small thing. Mostly meetings.” A cook or butler or some other type of help puts a salad in front of Nelson and he takes a moment to watch the others so he isn't the first one eating. He's kind of terrified they're going to want to pray, and he's not good at impromptu religious speeches but he can manage if he has to, but the Robs grab their forks and the rest of the table follows.

He's distracted by a very delicious salad, and feels a pang of sympathy as he watches Gavin force his way through a type of food he doesn't want to eat. Present Gavin has re-added some foods to his diet, making it about a 60/40 split of fruit/vegan meals (Plus their Saturday omelets. He's pretty sure Gavin will never drop omelets from his menu.), but young Gavin is trying very hard to become a fruitarian, and while his mother seems to be on board aside from some friendly teasing, his father is not, and he’s probably the one that chose the menu for tonight given the very noticeable lack of fruit on the table.

“Although we've already told your mother, Gavin, I'm sure your brother would like to share his good fortune.”

Rob 4 smiles and it's this horribly smug look, like being able to gloat over Gavin is one of his favorite things in the world. “I accepted a job offer in DC for the Republican party. It's pretty important work. I'm directly involved in making sure things run smoothly in this country.”

He does not like this guy at all.

Gavin nods, Nelson's pretty sure it's more instinct than anything, and forces down another bite of salad.

“Well Gavin,” his father doesn't sound satisfied with that kind of response, “isn't that good news?”

“Yes,” Gavin sounds like he's in actual pain having to have this conversation, “I suppose everyone needs their coffee.”

“I'm working for our senator's office,” Nelson mentally notes that he didn't say he's working for the senator, but his office, but doesn't comment, “I have a lot of important responsibilities.”

Gavin's mother gives Rob 4 a very 'mom' look, and he quiets. “I'm sure Gavin was just joking, Robert.”

“I'd keep your day job, Gavin,” his brother smirks, “well, if that's still an option. But if not, there's always mom's office.”

“ _You_ worked in mom's office,” Gavin snaps back; he's getting worked up and they're not even done with their salads. Well, Nelson is, but he was starving, and Gavin probably wouldn't finish his even if he had a couple hours.

“At sixteen Gavin, not however old you are now.” And because Nelson suspects Gavin is genuinely worried about Hooli failing, Gavin goes quiet and sets aside his fork in favor of holding his glass and staring at his wine. Nelson reaches out a hand without trying to be too obvious and gives Gavin's knee a squeeze. Gavin glances over briefly without turning his head and Nelson's mouth quirks up in a smile before settling back into a neutral position.

“Robert,” Nelson can feel the 'enough' even though Gavin's mother doesn't say it aloud. “Rob, how was your flight?”

After that Gavin's mother manages to keep the topics away from Gavin and his business. She encourages both the Robs to complain about their respective flights, Rob 4 was delayed by a half hour and apparently it's just that big a deal, so he whines about that while Nelson and Gavin have more than their fair share of the bottle of wine.

And of course because Rob 3 is a manly man with manly values they're having steak, which Gavin just flat out refuses to even let touch his plate. Thankfully, Gavin's mother intervened on that front and Gavin is presented with some fruit and some tofu, all food present Gavin would be more than content with eating.

“I don't see what makes you think this diet of yours so healthy when you don't eat anything with protein.” Gavin's father is focused on cutting is very rare steak.

“You know, tofu's got loads of protein,” Nelson replies before he can stop himself. He should not be drinking right now. Gavin looks horrified that Nelson would speak his mind, but also grateful that Nelson would defend his dietary choices.

Rob 3 doesn't look as pleased. “I have a question for you,” he gestures to Nelson, he probably forgot his name already, “just how does someone make a living consulting others in business?”

Oh crap they didn't rehearse that at all. “Well, you know new businesses need um, sometimes they don't know all that much about the business end of things and, well, I go and help them do that. Understand. I help them understand.” He takes a nervous drink of his wine.

“How many of the businesses you consult go bankrupt, just a rough ballpark.”

Wow this guy's a complete fucker.

Gavin's mother interjects before Nelson can say something stupid. “Oh, Gavin, I was on campus for the pre-law major, and they're bringing a Warhol exhibit in soon I thought you would be interested in seeing.”

Gavin relaxes and sits up just a bit straighter. “That sounds-”

His father interrupts, “he's that silly soup can guy.”

“He's actually pretty cool,” Nelson can't stop himself now he's four glasses of wine into a super uncomfortable meal that has very little starch to help soak any of it up, “yeah, like, paintings and prints. Gay. Super successful. I like his stuff.” The whole table goes quiet, and Nelson has to really think about what he just said when he realizes, crap, he brought up the one thing Gavin just cannot deal with right now. Wine has betrayed him. “Uh, yeah, he's like, gay I guess. Who knew.”

Gavin looks like he could melt through the floor and die. He needs to keep attention away from Gavin in a big way. Nelson decides to do the one thing Gavin always tells him to avoid when he's dug himself a hole. He digs deeper.

“Yeah, there's tons of successful gay guys like, say Mrs. B can you get me some more wine?” She smiles and pours him a new glass. “Awesome, okay,” he swings his glass a little to emphatically and spills some onto the hardwood, “whoops, well at least it's not carpet.” He takes a big drink. “Now, who else was... Elton John, right, good music piano guy.” Gavin's father opens his mouth to reply, “oh come on you gotta agree it's good you don't have to like it.”

Rob 4 shakes his head. “I don't see the appeal but I guess someone like you,” what that you is implying is a bit unclear to Nelson, but he has an idea, “gets something out of it.”

This is going well.

“Seems like an odd thing to know about these people.” Rob 3 is fishing and Nelson just does not care what he thinks.

“I got a million, like, Queen's awesome, and Freddie Mercury's gay. Or bisexual. One of those.”

Rob 3's looking at Gavin now, who is trying to keep his head down and eat his fruit in peace. Nelson realizes belatedly that he keeps mentioning things that Gavin likes, and if Rob 3 is smart he might put two and two together, but it is still a stretch. He hopes he hasn't made anything worse for him.

“Uh, oh! Neil Patrick Harris. That guy's gay. Good actor too.”

Gavin looks up, absolutely confused. “Who?”

“Uh,” _crap what was he in this young?_ “Uh, he's in that uh, kid doctor show?”

Rob 3 answers with, “Doogie Howser? I don't know who told you that but someone at your office is full of shit.”

Nelson laughs a little to himself. He knows he shouldn't mess with the past but that was just way too good to pass up. “I guess it's not a big deal either way you know? It's like, say, do this for me, imagine Robert here's gay-”

“I have a _wife_!” “He's _married_.” They both start getting angry and defensive.

“Woah easy, yeash, just a hypodermal, hypothetical. That one. “Okay?” No one says anything, but Gavin might just puke if the unhealthy green color is any indication. “Okay, so if he's gay, so what? Still the same guy right?”

Rob 3 would probably love to kick him out right now, so Nelson's job here is probably done for the night. And he really doesn’t want to sleep on a bench. “Listen, this is all good but I am very drunk right now. Mrs. B, is that offer for a bed open?”

“Of course,” she responds before anyone else at the table can protest.

“Cool, thanks,” he sets his napkin on the table and stands. “Say, if you find me face down anywhere I'm probably fine, just passed out. Any bed work?”

“The first room on the left is unoccupied.” Gavin's mom knows how to be a good host at least. Nelson nods and starts towards the stairs.

“Oh, thanks for having me!” He waves as he stumbles up the stairs and slowly makes his way to the guest room. He flops forward onto a bed and he's out before he can turn off the lights.

-

He wakes up when someone starts pulling off his shoes. He whines, “mom I'm _sleeping_.”

“I am _definitely_ not your mother.” It's Gavin.

“Oh, oh hey man I am so sorry about dinner.” He sits up briefly and watches Gavin lock the door to the guest room and turn off the light. “Uh, you know this isn't your room right?”

Gavin doesn't answer. He pulls off his slacks and after folding them and setting them aside he pulls back the covers and joins Nelson in the bed.

“So um, are you doing alright about-?”

“Thank you.” Nelson lies down and looks at Gavin, but he doesn't elaborate, and Nelson falls back asleep before he can ask.


	7. Day 7

Nelson would really love to get up and pee right now but he just woke up with a little bit of a hangover and Gavin as the little spoon so he’s not going to be moving anytime soon.

Gavin can be crass, and sure sometimes he comes off a bit rude and condescending, but last night’s dinner was unnecessarily harsh. Sure Gavin’s a fruitarian/vegan, yeah he likes technology and video games, and yes he is a Buddhist (And even though that never came up Nelson’s sure it has in the past.) but that doesn’t make him a shitty person.

The feud with Peter might mean he’s a little bit shitty sometimes, and he gets a bit too fixated on vengeance, maybe, but the rest of the stuff is just Gavin. He’s not perfect, but neither is Rob 3 of 4, despite what they may think.

For all of his faults present Gavin is at least _trying_ to let things go, or keeping his displeasure to ranting at home and not plotting against others. Nelson did catch him trying to buy out the office supplies supplier to sabotage Gary’s pens when HR told them they had to stop their PDA in the office, but Nelson managed to turn it into a fun game of ‘find Hooli’s blind spots in their security’ and Gavin’s plan was abandoned. And honestly, making Gary write everything in green is a far cry from all the berating the Robs send Gavin’s way about his choice of business, his lifestyle, and his overall personality.

And there’s the homophobic thing Nelson’s not a big fan of; he’s seen how uncomfortable it still makes present Gavin to be open about his sexuality, _years_ after he stopped being directly under his father’s thumb struggling for approval he was never going to get.

Gavin yawns and stretches, Nelson mentally prepares for the arduous task of walking to the bathroom once Gavin’s fully awake, but Gavin only rolls towards Nelson, opens his eyes long enough to register who he’s sharing a bed with, and settles in for some more sleep with his face against Nelson’s chest.

That’s no good.

Nelson didn’t really stop to consider that Gavin might be getting a little attached, but thinking back it’s fairly obvious. He brought Nelson to the arcade, something he used to do with Peter all the time. They went up to Calistoga for a day trip together without Nelson even having to ask, Gavin just brought him along. And he hasn’t asked Nelson to leave him alone; he actually invited Nelson to eat with his family because, at least in Gavin’s eyes, it would be more comfortable with him there.

And he’s leaving soon. His scrap of paper is down to one day. This is, quite likely, the last day he’s going to have in 1991 with Gavin.

Most of Nelson is terribly excited to be home. Gavin could be worried sick because Nelson’s been gone a whole week; he’s terrified that time has continued to pass in the present.

But now a small part of him doesn’t want to leave young Gavin to fend for himself. He knows it’s impractical, he needs to get home and it’s very likely that he doesn’t have a choice in the matter, but it’s obvious Gavin needs _someone_ around to balance him out. In the present they _take care_ of each other; Gavin pesters Nelson about his food habits (Which he knows is terrible and meant to make changes before he even tried out college, but never had the motivation before Gavin gave him a kick in the pants about being healthier.) and Nelson helps Gavin mellow out and accept that he’s not always going to like how something turns out, but it doesn’t have to become an all out war until he gets his way. He helps Gavin let others win every once and awhile.

But what the small part of him doesn’t seem to grasp is he _can’t_ let Gavin get more attached than he already is, and realistically he should just stay away from him today if Gavin’s going to get over Nelson abandoning him after becoming such a prominent part of his life.

He has his work cut out for him, because he’s fairly certain Gavin is not ready to be alone again, at least not without some help.

Nelson decides he needs to kick Gavin into gear about a few things before he leaves. It’s the least he can do.

First and foremost, he needs to make sure Gavin is going to use those pitches of Peter’s. Even Peter, a guy Gavin will spend half his life trying to bother and annoy, thinks he should use them, and Nelson can’t be sure, but when he talked to Peter his insistence felt genuine. Peter’s petty enough to buy Pied Piper under Gavin’s nose, but not so petty that he wants Gavin to _actually_ fail at making his company a success.

And they obviously still care about each other or this wouldn’t be such a tough breakup.

Second, this whole living situation is obviously not good for Gavin’s mental health. His father doesn’t support _any_ of his life choices, and even goes out of his way to help Gavin’s brother gloat about his success. Obviously Gavin was supposed to go into politics like his father, or at least become a lawyer or something equally important.

Gavin would make a shitty lawyer, and an even shittier politician. The tech industry is his kingdom. Anywhere else it’s like the world is speaking another language.

He’d love to try and convince Gavin to avoid some things that annoyed Nelson about Hooli when he first started but he’s scared of messing things up for the present, so he quietly sighs and sends good vibes to his three year old self in the hopes that he’ll wait things out because good shit will happen if he does.

He’d also love to warn his younger self about the incubator being a miserable shithole but no incubator means no Pied Piper, and no Pied Piper means no VP of Spite, and _that_ eventually leads to no Gavin, so hard pass on that warning. Three year old Nelson would forget anyway so there isn’t much of a point.

Ultimately, he really wants to get Gavin out of this house. Even a shitty studio apartment would be better than still living under the same roof as his father.

Third, he’d like to find some pamphlets or something about converting to Buddhism, because it’s a big part of present Gavin’s life and Nelson doesn’t want to see that part of Gavin die off because his father is a hardcore disapproving Catholic.

And again, Gavin being Buddhist influences how he runs Hooli in the present, so important to their relationship, among other things.

Fourth, he hates to think about it, but they only met in this time period because Gavin wanted a one night stand with somebody. He knows they’re both being safe right now, Gavin was a teen and young adult during the peak of the AIDS epidemic, and to this day he’s very emphatic about proper health practices, but Nelson’s worried that if Gavin makes a habit of going out to find random guys he’s going to eventually start letting his standards slip. He doesn’t even know Nelson’s last name, and Nelson has a bad feeling that last Tuesday was a very low point in Gavin’s life. His standards might already be slipping.

And it’s not that he doesn’t want Gavin to have sex with other guys. Young Gavin is way before his time, anyone they slept with in the past is their own business, and sex is great for Gavin’s stress levels. Hell, Nelson will help line up his first ‘not dating recreational partner’ or whatever Gavin used to call his ‘companions’ if it means Gavin will be relatively stress free, as long as he’s also being safe.

He should figure out who drafted Gavin’s NDA contracts, because he’s not sure Gavin has thought of using one of those yet.

Fifth, he wants to, in a roundabout way, assure Gavin that being gay is perfectly fine. His little speech from last night probably helped, but he’d like to hit the message a little harder now that he’s sober. And Nelson knows that it will still take Gavin years to admit to being gay to anyone, but if he can at least admit it to _himself_ then Nelson’s done a good job.

Sixth, Galaga. It’s a pipe dream but damn it he wants his initials on that console.

Gavin wakes properly before Nelson can continue brainstorming, but it’s for the best because he _really_ has to pee. “Morning.”

“Hm,” Gavin rolls onto his back and wipes his face. “What time is it?”

“Uh,” shit, it’s a work day, and Nelson didn’t think to wake Gavin even though they’re not by his alarm clock.

Gavin twists his arm towards his face, looks at his watch, and groans. “I’m going to be _late_.”

Going to be is better than being already late, but not by much. “Sorry, I didn’t set an alarm.”

Gavin frowns, “it’s _my_ job, not yours.” He gets out of bed and rubs his face. “That was too much wine.”

“Yeah,” Nelson can feel that headache trying to win. He needs a glass of water, _stat_. “Say, not my business or whatever, but why are you living at home?”

Gavin freezes in place, his hands are still covering his face. “I was living with someone but,” he puts his hands down; he’s looking straight forward, but in that faraway stare kind of way, “circumstances changed, and it was preferable that _I_ move out, and the quickest option was to move back here. Searching for an apartment takes time I don’t have.”

So Nelson mentally amends his second goal to find Gavin an apartment. He didn’t actually expect Gavin to be so open about his situation, but based on the cuddling he’s gotten fairly close to Nelson, close enough to confide in him.

Leaving is going to hurt.

“I’m not busy.”

Gavin is partway pulling on his shirt from yesterday. He makes one of those ‘I just licked a lemon’ faces and asks, “why the hell would you want to look for an apartment for _me_?”

“Okay _truthfully_? Your dad sucks complete ass. And your mom’s cool and all but seriously, living with him is complete shit. I know can tell you love her a lot but I don’t know if it’s worth putting up with your dad.”

He expects Gavin to put up a fight, or tell Nelson he’s wrong. He kind of expects him to say she won’t let him leave until he’s more stable, or at least not so stressed out.

“She has breast cancer.”

But he doesn’t expect this.

Oh fuck.

What the hell is he supposed to say now?

“She um… she ah,” he shuts his mouth, shakes his head, and manages to drag his sorry ass out of bed and give Gavin a hug. Gavin doesn’t join, but his head plops onto Nelson’s shoulder, so he’s obviously not too put out by the affection.

“It’s in the early stages.” Gavin’s trying to sound optimistic but Nelson knows that tone. He’s worried about her. Gavin fucking _loves_ his mom; losing her is probably one of the hardest things he’ll ever live through.

“What did the doctors say?”

“Cautiously optimistic, whatever the fuck that means.” Gavin huffs and pulls away. “I’m late for work.”

Nelson nods. “You’re mom’s like, super tough.” He doesn’t want to say she’ll be okay, because in about ten years she most definitely _isn’t_ , but he still wants to reassure Gavin a little bit. And Gavin’s already attached, he can’t do too much more damage than he already has, so he kisses him. Gavin looks a little less depressed when Nelson pulls away. “So if I did some apartment hunting for you would you be totally pissed about that? Because you _do_ know you can visit your mom when you stop living with her.”

Gavin doesn’t immediately say no, which is kind of a yes for him. “I doubt you’d find something I would like.”

“You’d be surprised.”

-

Nelson is not terribly well versed in how apartment hunting works before the internet had all his answers for him, but he does find a few buildings near Hooli that at least look somewhat liveable on the outside and also have model units to look at, so he can’t fuck this up too badly, and if he finds something Gavin may like he can run right over to Gavin’s office and drag him to the building.

The first unit is older, there’s no security door or some sort of front desk, so Nelson already has a feeling it would be a pass in Gavin’s book. Still, he wants to get a good idea of the different prices of things, so he takes a good look at the unit.

As it turns out, the cheapest places do in fact look cheap on the inside too.

He had a feeling that would be the case, and with the knowledge that Gavin will not want a home with no bathtub (Present Gavin _insists_ on always being able to soak in the bath, even if he almost never does it on a daily basis.) or the sub-par kitchen (Again, not something he truly needs, because he’s reaching the point in his life where most of his diet is fruit that just needs to sit in the fridge or on the counter.) but Nelson thinks that the bedroom is close to a size Gavin could tolerate until he’s rich.

What would really help is if he could get into Peter Gregory’s apartment. He has a strong feeling that’s the person Gavin was living with, and if Gavin liked their apartment together then Nelson could find something similar, but unfortunately Nelson _shouldn’t_ know Peter’s last name, or the thing about them living together, and randomly showing up at his residence is probably not a good idea.

Plus, Peter will definitely think Gavin sent him to spy. He was already suspicious earlier when they happened to be in the arcade at the same time.

The next place is _marginally_ better. It has a security door, but once again, the kitchen is sub-par. Although the bathroom does have a bathtub. But it also only has a bathtub.

He’s going to have to have a talk with Gavin about how some standards are okay to ignore if he ever wants to live alone again.

After an hour and a half of tours and way too many stairs Nelson is tired and hungry, but he does have three places for Gavin to look at that Nelson _thinks_ he would be alright living in until Hooli takes off. And Nelson knows Hooli will take off and Gavin can say goodbye to compromising on standards, but he has to convince Gavin that compromising a little now will pay off big later.

It’s lunchtime and Nelson feels bad for dropping the ball because he doesn’t have any food, but he has some amount of hope that he’ll get Gavin to agree to leave for an hour to look at some places.

But when he gets upstairs Gavin and the others are in the main conference room having a meeting with no end in sight. He shrugs. It was his goal to see Gavin less today, maybe this is a good thing. He goes into Gavin’s office long enough to leave him the information about the apartments, turns around to leave, and almost falls over when Gavin is standing behind him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, I found some apartments for you to look at but you looked busy. No rush, I guess. Also I am starving, and have no money. Could I have twenty bucks?”

Gavin walks past him and picks up the apartment sheets. “You actually looked for an apartment?”

“Now, don’t go saying they’re crap right away. Sometimes you gotta live in a shithole before you get a penthouse.” Gavin looks discouraged and moves to toss the sheets away. “Hey hey hey they're not _that_ shitty! I made sure they all had a security door, and at least one bedroom. They’re like, top tier shitholes.”

And Gavin is, once again, genuinely shocked looking. “How did you…?”

“Told you I’d surprise you.”

“Why?”

“What?”

Gavin sets the papers aside, far away from the trash can. It’s a definite improvement. “Why did you bother to help? _You’re_ not planning on living there.”

Nelson tries to ignore the hint of disappointment he hears from that last part. But at least it means Gavin’s being honest with himself about Nelson leaving. It _might_ make things easier for him.

“Well, your house kind of sucks really hard. I’ve had a shitty living situation before, it’s the worst.” He can’t really describe the feeling, but things were just a hundred times better after he moved out of the incubator. “Think about it. And, bonus, they’re all pretty close to here.”

-

Nelson doesn't get a chance to talk about anything else with Gavin, he only left the meeting long enough to berate Nelson for showing up unannounced, but he does leave Hooli with a couple twenties in his pocket and a mental checklist of things he needs to buy for Gavin.

But first, lunch.

Scratch that, first, find somewhere to get lunch, preferably close to the Palo Alto Buddhist temple. He needs to figure out if they have any pamphlets he can get for Gavin.

He’s gotten stupidly good at using phone books now, something he will probably never need again in the present, but it helps him get to the temple and a fast food place in under a half hour, so it’s a win-win.

If memory serves Nelson _should not_ eat in the temple, but that may have been a Gavin rule. But to be fair, Nelson does spill something pretty much every time he eats, and Gavin has a lot of respect for the temple, and Nelson tries to show the same respect because if nothing else, it’s important to Gavin, but sometimes a guy can’t handle a double gulp and a sneezing fit at the same time.

The familiar overwhelming scent of incense almost makes him turn around and abandon ship, but Nelson wants to help, and he is as determined as he’ll ever be while also facing something stronger than the perfume department at the mall. He pulls his jacket up so it’s covering his nose and starts a very quick search of the front room; ideally he won’t have to talk to anyone and he’ll just grab a couple brochures or whatever kind of literature a Buddhist temple provides.

He sneezes at least four times and definitely interrupted someone’s prayer, but he manages to find a couple pamphlet things and (It’s his lucky day) a small book on a ‘free for the taking’ shelf.

Okay, so, apartment, check-ish. He’s given Gavin the sheets but he doubts Gavin left work to look at them. Buddhism? He’s found some stuff for Gavin to read, so it’s a step in the right direction. Next, he should really get Gavin some sort of gay sex travel bag.

This is super uncomfortable.

In the present they never get their groceries on their own, and groceries kind of loosely includes any condoms or other things, so he’s never had to look someone in the eye and put a box of condoms on the counter. Or, thanks to technology, he can go to the store that has the self checkouts and not have to look anyone in the eye. But that doesn’t exist in 1991.

Maybe he can just convince Gavin to be celibate until they meet in the present.

That’s not going to happen.

He sighs and feels content that he won’t ever have to look at any of the people involved in this project ever again, because in about 24 years he’s pretty sure they won’t be able to remember him, or probably care in the first place. He just hates the thought of having to look a store clerk in the eye and hand over a box of condoms. It is actually terrifying for him to think about.

But he wants to help Gavin, and that means he’s going to have to man up and buy his condoms in person.

First, because what’s the use of having condoms if Gavin doesn’t have a bag he can keep them in 24/7, he finds this nifty little bag that reminds him of a carry-on bag he uses when he has to fly. Only this bag isn’t going to be full of candy and Dramamine.

It has a nice little zipper portion and a couple pockets on the inside, which Nelson realizes are the pockets he would normally dedicate to his Dramamine or other flight aids, but they’re definitely the condom pouches for this particular bag. And there’s plenty of room for lube and, if Gavin wants, a spare set of clothes, or anything else he may want during sex.

He feels so unclean.

No, not _unclean_ , that’s kind of the point of this, but he’s not super comfortable buying these kinds of things. But he’s doing it for Gavin since he can’t be around for twenty four years.

He’s not brave enough to buy the bag and the condoms from the same store. Nelson knows he’s putting together a sex bag but the _clerk_ doesn’t need to know that too, so he buys the bag and then walks at least half a mile before he finds a pharmacy.

And he can’t bring himself to buy multiple boxes of condoms from the same store, but he does manage to psych himself into buying the lube here as well. And after another mile and two other pharmacys, he’s gotten Gavin two boxes of condoms, lube, the bag, and for some reason a thing of wet wipes, because he kind of panicked when the clerk at the second pharmacy looked familiar but he’d already been loitering in the store for ten minutes and didn't want her to think he was stealing anything.

Sex bag, check. Now he can never think about this again.

The last two things involving Gavin have to be done in person, so Nelson walks to the arcade and converts his last ten dollars into quarters.

He _will_ get a high score, damn it.

The first dollar’s worth of plays goes about as well as Nelson expected, which means it went horribly, but by dollar two he’s gotten into the zone and manages to get through a challenge stage without missing, a feat normally reserved for those times Nelson gives up and Gavin has to take over for him.

He dies right after, but it boosted his confidence a little.

Nelson imagines getting down to his last quarter, scrambling and frantic, and at the last minute reaching the high score just as an enemy crashes into his ship and ends his game. And maybe a couple of the regulars are standing around him, cheering as he types in NEL in the name slot.

So it’s kind of anticlimactic when he’s only about four dollars in and manages to surpass the high score. And even more so when he manages to keep going for another three stages, but a high score is still a high score, so NEL ends up at the top of the leader board, about 60,000 points above GLB.

Huh, maybe that’s Gavin’s score.

-

Belatedly, Nelson wonders if he should’ve brought Gavin lunch today when he brought in the pitches, but there’s nothing he can do about that now. And he did _other_ things for Gavin; he just feels bad whenever Gavin works through lunch. If Nelson had to do that in the present he’d never make it to the end of the workday without having his assistant go out for a pizza or two. He doubts Gavin is bothering to eat if Nelson isn’t shoving it under his nose.

He should really add ‘convince Gavin to eat regularly’ to his goals because he’s a goddamned twig in 1991. And all he eats is _fruit_ , and omelets; he’ll probably end up _skinnier_ if Nelson doesn’t say anything.

Nelson’s grandmother would be so proud to hear him fretting over someone like this. He’s not sure if it’s a compliment to himself or not, but he pretends fussing like his Italian grandmother is something to boast about.

He walks the whole way to Gavin’s home before remembering that Gavin’s father, and possibly his brother, are around, and he spent a good portion of dinner idolizing a bunch of gay men in fine arts and music. Maybe not the best first impression he’s ever given, but it was probably very _interesting_ to hear them both complaining during breakfast. He’ll have to talk to Mrs. B about that and get all the juicy gossip before he leaves.

From the sounds of things, Gavin and Rob 4 are arguing, and Nelson takes that as a sign that he should loiter out in the backyard and hope Gavin goes out there to vent. After ten minutes he doesn’t show, but Nelson can’t hear any more of their arguing, and really, what’s the worst that could happen? He has to convince Mrs. B to lie for him about him being a houseguest? She’d probably be down with that. She definitely likes him.

But in the end he doesn’t have to, because after a quiet knock on the front door and a tired-looking Mrs. B answers, a tight smile lifting the corners of her mouth before she ushers him inside.

“I’m not sure if you heard those two-”

“Yelling? No.” _Yes._ He takes the same stool he’s sat in at the counter several times this week and snags a banana out of the fruit bowl. “What happened this time?”

“Those two have been fighting ever since Gavin was born,” she offers Nelson a glass of water, he drains it in one drink while she adds, “Robert was _horribly_ jealous about no longer being the only child.”

“Can’t relate, only child right here.” Although he and Richard were at each other’s houses so much when they were kids that his parents joked about adopting Richard, but it’s not the same. “Gavin run off anywhere?”

“Upstairs, but he’s not going to be in a good mood.”

“I think I can manage.” Gavin’s mother walks around the counter and pulls Nelson into a hug. “Mrs. B?”

“I don’t think Gavin knows how lucky he to have someone like you around.” Nelson feels a pang of guilt because in as little as ten hours he probably _won’t_ be around anymore. He nods, and quietly slips off the stool after she releases him from the hug.

“I’ll be upstairs, you know, giving him a kick in the pants about whatever. Being nice to siblings maybe?”

“You’d have better luck telling him to give up fruit.”

“Ha, probably,” at the mention of fruit Nelson grabs another banana. He’s not convinced Gavin’s eaten dinner, and he’s nearly certain he didn’t have lunch. _Here’s to you grandma._

Nelson goes up the stairs and into Gavin’s room, finding Gavin fuming at the foot of his bed. He turns to Nelson, all angry eyes and ready to spew ire at whoever interrupted his quiet rage, but when he registers Nelson he takes a couple step back, and the look of absolute fury starts to smolder down to a general burn of anger. It’s still there, but calmer, more contained.

“I brought you a banana.”

Gavin looks thoroughly confused and off-kilter; this Gavin isn’t used to Nelson’s nonchalance and general chill. Nelson shrugs when Gavin looks from his hand to his face and back again, and regards Gavin with his lips pressed together, in case Gavin wanted to rant or complain about his brother. Instead Gavin takes the banana and starts eating.

“How the _fuck_ do you do that?”

“Do what? Carry fruit?” He has hands, and even though he spills his drinks all the time Nelson doesn’t think he’s _that_ much of a klutz. “Well, I have two hands, and I don’t need either when I’m walking, so-”

“Not that!” Gavin shoves another bite into his mouth and fumes. “I’m _trying_ to be angry, but you come in here and… and you offer me a _fucking banana_ , and you’re just-! Just so fucking _calm_!”

“You kinda lost me, is that a bad thing?”

“How the _fuck_ am I supposed to react to you!?”

Nelson shrugs. “However you want I guess.”

In this case, Gavin’s ‘however he wants’ is to brush past Nelson and slam the door to his bathroom shut after rushing inside. Nelson walks over, and when he hears the familiar thump of someone leaning against a closed door, he does the same on the bedroom side of the door and slides down until he’s comfortably seated.

“You still there?” There’s a soft bang near the bottom of the door, probably Gavin’s fist. “Kay, cool, just checking.”

Gavin doesn’t reply, so Nelson decides this is as close to a heart to heart about diets, sexuality, and religion as he’s going to get while Gavin’s in a bad mood. He’s not going to complain.

“Say, I’m going to say some stuff, and you can stop listening or take a shower or whatever, but who knows? Maybe listening might help you out.” The water doesn’t start, and Gavin doesn’t say anything to suggest he _doesn’t_ want Nelson to talk, so he takes it as license to continue.

“So, I guess first, I think you should use those pitches Peter picked. I think they’ll be successful, because their ideas are cool, so even though their pitches kind of suck word-wise, I think they’ll work out. Peter thought they would work and that’s gotta count for something right?”

Silence is a good sign, at least Nelson hopes. He mentally crosses off the pitches in his mind and continues on. “So, I know you’re like, trying this new diet out and that’s cool, but I think you’re supposed to actually _eat_ the fruit? Your call, but you keep skipping lunch and I don’t know how you can do that, because fruit’s not filling like, at all.” Gavin grumbles, but Nelson can’t figure out what he’s saying. “Just bring a pear or something to work? Maybe get a mini-fridge, store some fruit for the week. Just my two cents. I’m pretty sure you know I like food.”

He’s pretty sure Gavin is laughing at him. “Yeah yeah fuck you too. Oh, and while we’re at it, if you want to convert to Buddhism I’d go for it.” The laughing stops. “Don’t go all quiet and moody on me man. It’s _your life_.” When Gavin still doesn’t reply, Nelson knocks his fist against the door. “Hey, I found a free book at the Buddhist temple today, and grabbed one for you. I’m not saying you _have_ to convert or anything, but if it makes you happy then go for it.”

“And moving out could be a great thing for you.” He _knows_ Gavin will be happier once he’s settled in and the companies he’s backing are successful; it’s getting past the fear of failure and being genuinely independent that’s really holding him back right now. “And you can get more Warhol stuff for your walls. Maybe a Rothko if things start going really well.”

His last topic is by far the most fragile; Gavin will shut him out completely if he says too much. Nelson fiddles with the zipper of his jacket and tries to channel some of those speech tips present Gavin is always giving him, but unfortunately he usually tunes them out in favor of the tried and true method of winging it and hoping.

He settles on talking about himself. “So like, it’s not really a surprise, but I’m not straight.”

There’s a definite shift from the near chill he and Gavin had reached moments ago, but Nelson presses forward. “And that’s like, okay I know there’s a lot of shit going on right now in the US. Cuz there’s AIDS and a lot of other bad stuff but, I guess my family is really cool about this kind of thing. But I know a lot of people _aren’t_ , so, I guess the best you can do is just give it time. And I guess step one was telling _myself_ I’m,” he’s never actually picked any one label other than ‘not straight’, “whatever. I’m Nelson. I like food and pretty much anyone if they’re interested and not like, complete jerks.”

Maybe he should amend his standards one of these days.

Nah.

“Hah, I was fifteen when I figured things out, and at first I got kind of freaked out, but I sat in my bathroom and looked in the mirror and, well at the time I said ‘gay’ but that’s not quite it, but I looked at myself and said ‘I’m Nelson, and I’m gay’ and I guess it felt pretty good to tell someone, even if it was just myself.”

He hears a sniffle, but Nelson ignores it in favor of letting Gavin have his privacy. This is some heavy shit; it’s understandable for Gavin to be worked up about all of this. “I don’t know, I’m rambling a little, but I hope that helped.”

“When?”

“Huh?” He _really_ wants to open the door. Gavin sounds so upset. “When what?”

“Your family.” Gavin sniffs. “When?”

“When did I… tell them?” Silence, Nelson hopes, is Gavin saying yes. “I don’t remember exactly. I think I was eighteen? Nineteen? Maybe after I was in college. I had to figure it all out first, you know? Didn’t want to have to come out twice,” he chuckles. Gavin doesn’t join him and he trails off. “Hah, well, I told them because I was ready, but if I hadn’t been, then I wouldn’t have. And I never did tell my grandmother before she died. It’s like, _no one_ has to know if yo-I don’t want them to.”

Nelson’s run out of things to say, and Gavin isn’t offering any comments. He stands up off the floor and flops onto the bed, and after about twenty minutes Gavin emerges, eyes still a little red rimmed but much more composed than he sounded when Nelson was still leaning against the door.

Nelson pats the half of the bed he isn’t sprawled out on and Gavin joins him without putting up any sort of fight.

“Hey, so, I know this is like, more bad news on top of a pretty shit day, but I’m probably leaving tomorrow morning. Early morning.”

Before Gavin left the bathroom Nelson thought about trying to sugar coat things, or maybe to just _leave_ , but after getting Gavin worked up about being gay and his family and work, it was definitely a dick move if he left without any warning. And Gavin’s an adult. He can handle the truth, even if hearing it is making him look angry and hurt all over again.

“I mean, it can’t be that big of a surprise.”

“I had _hoped_ -” Gavin should not be allowed to finish that thought, so Nelson kisses him, and after a few seconds of surprise, Gavin kisses back.

And Nelson decides to call all the shots. “Say, you just sit back and do whatever, cuz I’m probably going to impress you so I’d be like, prepared to have your mind blown.”

It’s definitely one of the most embarrassing things he’s ever said, but he’s going to be gone soon, and Gavin’s laughing up until Nelson pulls off his pants.

-

Gavin is _sacked out_.

Nelson’s actually kind of proud of himself.

And yeah, he only ‘blew Gavin’s mind” (And other things.) because he knows what Gavin in the present likes, but it’s just using insider information. Gavin muttered something about Nelson reading minds partway through, and Nelson isn’t going to correct him. He probably won’t get the chance even if he wanted to; Nelson takes a moment to pull the paper out of his wallet, running his thumb over the one in the center of the paper.

He’s certainly had an interesting time in 1991, but he’s looking forward to getting home.


	8. Day 8

Nelson doesn’t open his eyes when he wakes up; there’s an arm on his waist and the blankets are warm, and that’s enough for him to say ‘fuck it’ to getting up for work and just lie there for a couple more hours. He can teleconference in without any trouble; it’s his usual practice since moving out to Berkeley.

 

He opens his eyes long enough to turn off his alarm, and worries that he knocked his alarm off the table again when he doesn’t find it, but then things start coming into as much focus as his shitty eyes can manage. The table is supposed to be cherry wood, not this dark whatever it is, and there’s no drawer. And after grabbing his glasses off the side table and sitting up, Nelson finds himself face to face with that damn Campbell's soup can poster.

 

First, he grabs his wallet and pulls out the paper, and he contemplates throwing his wallet out he window, IDs and all, when in the Goddamned center of the paper the words ‘last day’ are staring up at him, mocking him for thinking he’d figured everything out.

 

“ _Now_ it’s straightforward,” he wants to tear it up so badly but he doesn’t want to screw up his return trip. “Fuck.”

 

And now Nelson has a whole extra day in 1991 he didn’t expect.

 

“Great.”

 

He has a couple options. Option one, he leaves now because he told Gavin he was leaving, and he hides out somewhere in the city until he _actually_ leaves. Nelson flips off the ceiling; he’s sure something somewhere is laughing at him and his assumptions.

 

Or, he could stay, and spend a little more time with Gavin, and maybe help set up the pitches more concretely. Gavin will probably get the wrong idea and think he decided to stay though. He really should leave. It would be better for the both of them if Gavin assumes he’s already back in Canada, or really, 2015, but Canada for Gavin.

 

But he can’t bring himself to get out of bed. He’s disappointed that he’s leaving tomorrow instead of today, and he’s upset that he’s going to have to break Gavin’s heart _again_ when he leaves for real. And the homesickness hasn’t really gone away; Nelson’s just worked past it better some days than others.

 

Gavin starts waking up before he can choose either option, and he looks very surprised, but rather pleased, that Nelson is still in bed.

 

“Read the date wrong. I’m still leaving, just, not this morning.”

 

From the looks of things Gavin is of the opinion Nelson stayed behind for him, and he’s looking horribly smug. “Of course, a smart, successful consultant like you makes such an obvious error like misreading the date of a plane ticket.”

 

_Well when the plane is a mysterious benevolent asshole in the sky you try to make sense of their return dates._ “I’m serious, I’m leaving tomorrow.”

 

“Right,” Gavin rolls out of bed and walks over to his bathroom with an extra bounce in his step. Nelson’s really not looking forward to all the dwelling he’s going to be doing about how hurt Gavin will be when it turns out Nelson was telling the truth.

 

But a part of him is excited, because today is, one hundred percent, his last day in 1991. He’ll get to go home, and see Gavin, and the tortoises, and he really shouldn’t be thinking about that right now because he _knows_ he’s going to get worked up but he’s been stuck in the wrong time period for over a week and that’s just _hard_. His phone doesn’t work. There’s no internet to help him navigate or find other information. The one person he knows that he’s been able to talk to doesn’t know who he is, and he’s worried about Gavin. _His_ Gavin. The one that, maybe, has been alone for eight days waiting for Nelson to return home, or answer a call, or show some sign that he’s still even _alive_.

 

Today is _not_ a good day.

 

When Gavin comes out of the bathroom Nelson pretends to have fallen back to sleep, when in reality he doesn’t want to cry in front of him, not when Gavin’s convinced Nelson is still around because he chose to stay. He listens to Gavin get ready for work and, briefly, panics when it sounds like Gavin is coming closer, but the footsteps stop and he can hear them getting farther away until the door to the bedroom quietly clicks as it’s shut.

 

Nelson shivers; at least he’s consistent. He slips out of bed almost immediately after Gavin’s left and goes into his bathroom. Hot crying shower, here he comes.

 

It’s a good thing he still has his standing appointments with the therapist at Hooli; it’s basically the only reason he still goes onto campus most days, but after all the crap that’s happened this week he’s going to need to vent a lot of stress. He’s going to have to come up with a good lie, but there’s still today to think of a good reason _why_ he’s stressed and unhappy and feeling homesick and lonely, even though he's safe and comfortable in his home in Berkeley.

 

He never bothered to shower last night, so Nelson multitasks; he lathers up and wipes at his eyes, even though the stream from the shower is making them more wet than any crying he’s doing. The hot water does help with the shivers, and so far he hasn’t gotten a headache.

 

Nelson worries about Gavin’s brother still being in town and wondering why Nelson’s here, but it’s not high priority right now. He’s going to sit in the shower and draw pictures of tortoises in the steam on the window until he starts feeling like a real person and not just an anthropomorphized ball of sad.

 

Thankfully, Gavin’s current shower is as good as the shower in the Belson mansion in the present, and the renovated shower in their home in Berkeley, so Nelson gets a good, long session in the shower before the water even starts to turn lukewarm. He feels a lot like he did back when he and Richard first got to Palo Alto. Stressed and busy, with no real home to his name.

 

And whenever he was feeling down then, he would ride his bike.

 

He’s not exactly _stealing_ one of the bicycles from the Belson garage, but the only person he asks is Mrs. B, quietly, as she leaves for work. She doesn’t actually give him an answer, but she would probably offer to let him move in if he asked, so it’s probably fine to use a bike for a couple hours.

 

It feels good to be back on a bike. Nelson has never really _excelled_ at anything physical, but he could always outride Richard and pretty much anyone that isn’t an actual bike racer. The dumb brogrammers at Hooli were always bragging about going on long bike rides and having this racing frame or that helmet, when Nelson’s standing right there, secretly laughing, because he knows they’re completely bullshitting pretty much everything they say about their bikes.

 

But he’s not going to let them know he not only rides bikes, he rides them _well_ , because they might take it as license to try and invite him on bike rides or whatever it is they do in their free time, and bike time is Nelson time. It helps to clear his head.

 

His favorite part is riding with no hands. Gavin about had a heart attack the first time Nelson let go, and he teases Gavin about it at least once every time they’re at the park and Nelson wanders off on his bike to explore a path or ride up to the cliffside and watch some of the boats.

 

There’s no destination Nelson’s really working towards, but he ends up around the outdoor market again without realizing he was even going in the right direction. He stocks up on some fruit for Gavin; it’s become more of a habit than anything. It’s his last chance to make sure Gavin’s going to eat lunch and damn it, he’s going to make his grandma proud.

 

It’s a rare moment when Nelson gets upstairs and to Gavin’s office and he’s actually in there. He’s working on some sort of paperwork, and he doesn’t even notice Nelson is there until he sets an apple _right_ where Gavin was going to start writing next. Gavin doesn’t even question the absence or presence of poison in the fruit before wiping it off on his shirt and taking a bite.

 

“I’m serious, I will _buy_ you a fridge if you’ll use it.”

 

“In the next year, if things are profitable, then we’re getting a place with a cafeteria.”

 

It isn’t a ‘yes Nelson I’ll remember to eat’ but it’s the first time Gavin’s sounded at least a little optimistic about the future of his company, so that’s a start. “You do have to eat between now and then though.”

 

“Yes, _mother_ I understand what food is.” Nelson nods. Once Gavin gets to the snarky part of the conversation, getting any traction is pretty much shot. “I’m filling out the paperwork for the funding.”

 

“Yeah?” Nelson peeks at the paper and can’t help but smile when he sees one of Peter’s suggestions’ names at the top of the page. “How many?”

 

“Five, although I would prefer to do _less_ , but the board wants to have a few options in case one doesn’t work out.”

 

“Cool,” Nelson settles in the chair across from Gavin and starts eating a pear. “Does that mean you don’t have to work as late?”

 

“It means I’m leaving my fate in the hands of others, which is a fucking nightmare, but yes, I will have less active projects once tomorrow is over.”

 

He can definitely cross off the pitches from his goals list.

 

Speaking of paperwork, “say, do you know what a NDA is?”

 

“A what?”

 

“It’s like a,” how does he put this delicately without insinuating anything about Gavin’s sexuality? “Um, say if I wanted to date someone, but didn’t want people to know or like, have them tell people, you get them to sign a NDA, non-disclosure thing.”

 

Gavin puts down his pen, and Nelson realizes that maybe this was poorly worded, because he doesn’t mean one for _them_ , just for Gavin’s future reference. Gavin steeples his fingers and rests his chin on his thumbs. “People do that?”

 

“Sometimes.”

 

Or there’s those individuals that just throw caution to the wind and hope things work out, but that’s not really Gavin’s style. And after seeing young Gavin go through the fallout of a breakup, his family and all their ‘charming’ quirks, and his sexuality crisis, Nelson can understand the motivation behind using an NDA, even when _they_ first started seeing each other. Gavin probably doesn’t have as many enemies as he thinks, but he also doesn’t have zero, and that’s the part that matters.

 

“I mean, when you become super rich and famous you’ll probably get loads of enemies, since you’ll be so successful. And people will want to make you look bad.” He is absolutely saying this to play into Gavin’s ego, and based on the mischievous look in Gavin’s eye, it’s working. He’s not going to ask what kind of revenge Gavin is planning, but he has a good idea.

 

“I’m not in this just to get _rich_ -”

 

“Bullshit, and so what if you are?” Gavin _started_ life rich, it’s what he’s used to, so why wouldn’t he try to keep that lifestyle? And maybe, just maybe, getting rich will prove dear old dad wrong about the tech industry. (Nelson knows it won’t because he knows Gavin’s father, but as long as _Gavin_ believes that being rich means he’s won, then it’s good enough.) “You’re Gavin fucking Belson.”

 

If this is the moment in Gavin’s life where he starts using that phrase, Nelson is going to have to reflect on some of his poor life choices once he’s home.

 

“Does being a consultant mean you’re a glorified cheerleader?”

 

“Do you remember the part where you made that up? Because you did. Like, three days ago.” Gavin grumbles, a light tinge of pink on his cheeks, and returns to his paperwork. “But I don’t think you’re wrong.”

 

All he’s done this past week is cheerleader pretty much everything Gavin does. Even if an actual consultant doesn’t usually do this, Nelson certainly has.

 

“How long do you plan on watching me work?”

 

“Dunno,” Nelson starts fiddling with a paperweight from Gavin’s desk. It’s a tiny Buddhist statue, and not the weird fat happy one. It’s encouraging to see something like this in Gavin’s personal space. “How much work you got?”

 

“Enough that you’d start complaining about being bored, or sabotage the office chairs _again_ with your ridiculous forts.”

 

True, and also true. “I jacked your brother’s bike, could always ride that around more.”

 

Gavin sighs. “Although I would love if that actually bothered him, I’m fairly certain he hasn’t even fucking _jogged_ in years, let alone ride a bike.”

 

“Well his loss,” Nelson sets the paperweight back down and stands. “I should get out of your hair, maybe ride to the arcade or the store. Kinda want some milk or something.”

 

And a box of Gushers. He’s definitely going to end up stress eating them all, but he’s anxious and worn down. Normally Gavin would insist he eat something vaguely healthy if he’s going to eat his body weight in snacks, but Nelson doesn’t have the energy to make something right now, and Gavin’s doing important work. Gushers are still tasty anyway.

 

He’ll ask Gavin to make something healthy tomorrow back in the present.

 

Nelson gets all the way to the door of Gavin’s office before stopping, tapping a fist against the frame, and turning around. “Say, at your family’s place, can I use the phone? It’s kinda long distance.”

 

And he feels a little bad for trying without asking the first time, even though no one answered.

 

“You could use one _now_ if you need to.” Gavin motions to his office phone.

 

“Naw it’s um… little bit of a personal call. I don’t have to.”

 

Gavin sets down his pen and laces his fingers together. “I _guess_ it’s not a problem, unless it’s illegal.”

 

“Not illegal. Just, you know, personal.”

 

Nelson didn’t really know he wanted to call his father again, but now that’s he’s gotten permission to do it at Gavin’s place he figures he might as well give it one more shot.

 

He takes his time biking back to the Belson estate, and after finding no one home, sneaks around to the backyard to try and get inside. He’s just about to start messing with one of the windows when someone taps him on the shoulder and he about pees himself, and quickly turns around to find Mrs. B standing there, laughing at him.

 

“Oh, hey.”

 

“Trying to break in?”

 

“Naw, just, kinda forgot it’s a workday I guess.” She’s dressed in workout clothes? Or maybe just some lazy day clothes, hard to say. “Didn’t know you were home.”

 

“I saw you walk around back as I pulled in,” she unlocks the backdoor and lets him inside. “Gavin’s at work.”

 

“Yeah, but I forgot my bag here,” he didn’t, but she doesn’t need to know that. “Might sneak some lunch if you don’t mind.”

 

“Help yourself,” she walks towards a door off the kitchen Nelson hasn’t been through, “I’ll be in my office.”

 

“Kay,” Nelson walks up the stairs to Gavin’s room and quietly closes and locks the door. Then he grabs Gavin’s phone and stretches the cord as long as it will go until he’s seated in the middle of the rug. The number for his family is still in his backpack, and he shakily hits the numbers one at a time (And has to start over twice when he messes up.) and waits while it’s ringing.

 

“Lo?”

 

That is definitely himself, at the ripe old age of three, answering the goddamned phone. Nelson panics and waits until he hears himself shriek ‘dad phone’. He’s probably standing on a chair in the kitchen and based on the giggles his father lifted young him off the chair and up high.

 

“Hello, Bighettis?”

 

“Um, hi. I’m uh, doing a,” he’s desperate to keep his dad on the line but he doesn’t know what to say, “um, survey. For demographics.”

 

“Okay,” his dad doesn’t sound like every other person that hears someone wants to do a survey, which is to hang up or yell, so Nelson presses on.

 

“Right, it’s for basic demographics, and that sort of thing. Real quick.”

 

“Alright,” his dad chuckles. In the background Nelson can hear his younger self demanding things, like ‘who dat’ and something about a cookie. Some things really never change. “Okay, what’s your questions?”

 

“Right, um, first, family?”

  
“Married, five years now, one son, Nels- no you can’t have that yet we need to finish lunch first. Sorry, my son’s three.”

 

“I can call back-”

 

“No, just finishing up here,” he mumbles something away from the handset, probably handing off some more food to younger Nelson.

 

“Okay, um, number of cars?”

 

He continues on like that for a little while, getting a feel for his father’s personality way more than the number of TVs in the home, or preferred grocery store. Vaguely, Nelson remembers his father being at home most of the time before he started school.

 

“Say, little guy’s falling asleep standing, any more questions?”

 

“Oh, um, maybe just a couple but if you have to go that’s fine.”

 

“No, just need to put him down for a nap.” Naps are something Nelson has always been great at. He always gets to hear the story about him getting upset the first day of first grade when he learned they don’t have a naptime, and how he fell asleep in the car on the way home from the school afterwards.

 

Nelson can’t help but listen as his father tucks his younger self into bed, his younger self mumbling about that damn cookie again, but settling. He can imagine his room, with his green sheets and stuffed dinosaur, and it feels like he’s being pulled in two directions at once, one as a toddler, getting ready to nap so he can play more, and here, listening to it happen, an adult nearing the age of thirty. He feels rather disoriented.

 

Up until this point Nelson’s held himself together but talking with his father is still leaving him feeling pretty emotionally raw. He hears the quiet ‘love you Nel,’ from the other line and has to cover his mouth so he doesn’t sob into the receiver.

 

Nelson thinks he manages to ask a couple more questions, but he’s not really sure what he says. He sputters out a thank you and has to hang up quickly, because his biological father is a good guy, and if he got a chance to ask why Nelson sounds upset he’s not sure he would be able to not tell him about being his son, just, way older.

 

And it has nothing to do with Nelson’s stepdad, who’s as much of a real dad to Nelson as his biological one, but his biological dad was the one that stayed home with him, and taught him to count by telling him he could eat every M&M he could count right, (Nelson got sick from too much candy according to his mother, because he learned to count to forty at an early age.) and helped him reach high things, because Nelson’s lack of height definitely came from his mother. His father is over six feet tall.

 

He feels so bad for his younger self; in three years his entire world is going to go to shit, and as much as things get better once his mom meets his stepdad, things don’t really feel _right_ until Nelson’s in his first couple years of high school. It’s during his freshman year that he starts talking to the counselor, and manages to work through a lot of the guilt he felt for _liking_ his new dad and replacing the one he lost.

 

If he wants to, Nelson has the time to take another shower. It’s very tempting. Overall, he is glad he decided to call again, because his memories of his father feel just a bit more tangible, and he was starting to worry about how little he _actually_ remembered, but it doesn’t make him any less sad.

 

He feels a little bad in general for keeping his dad on the phone for an hour when he has younger, much less patient Nelson to take care of, but only a little. If he had to pinpoint an actual goal for himself for this trip, he would settle on talking with his father. Nothing else he’s done has really been for himself, it’s been for him and Gavin.

 

But he _did_ also get that high score, so maybe two things were for him.

 

When Gavin’s room phone starts ringing Nelson jumps. He shouldn’t answer, it’s not his phone, so he lets it ring.

 

And about five minutes later there’s a knock on the door. “Nelson, you in there?”

 

He scrubs at his face to try and hide the fact that he was crying. Mrs. B’s got enough on her plate already. “Uh, yeah!” He stands and opens up the door. “Hey.”

 

“That was Gavin,” okay that’s pretty normal it is his house, “and he wanted apartment help?”

 

It takes Nelson a good ten seconds to realize she means Gavin wants _his_ help, but he catches on eventually and nods. “Oh, okay.” He walks over to the desk and grabs his bag. “Can do.”

 

“You feeling alright?” She’s a mom, of course she saw the red eyes he undoubtedly has.

 

“Tired, long week.”

 

“It’s only Tuesday,” she comments as he exits Gavin’s room.

 

“Yeah, uh, guess so.” He stops walking for a bit. “Say um… Gavin probably didn’t say anything but I leave tomorrow, pretty early, so…”

 

She pulls Nelson into a hug, and he knew he would appreciate a hug, but he didn’t expect to actually get one from anybody. He lifts up an arm long enough to squeeze back for a moment before stepping back. “You’re welcome back anytime.”

 

_No thanks, sorry._ “Alright.” He starts for the stairs. “I better get going.”

 

Nelson bikes down towards Hooli, and since he doesn’t know which apartment Gavin is talking about, he hopes he’s still at his office. He is, thankfully, although he’s impatiently stamping around by his car. Nelson hops off while the bike is still moving and coasts to a stop by the trunk.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Oh, you _biked_ here again. That makes sense.”

 

“We could just bike to the apartment too.”

 

“That’s _one_ bike,” Gavin explains things patiently, and calmly, even when he’s exasperated. Young Gavin makes it sound like he’s three, which, in 1991, he technically is, so there’s that.

 

“Hop on back,” Nelson offers. Gavin shakes his head and unlocks the driver’s side door to his car. “Fine, killjoy.”

 

Gavin is quick to reject two of the apartments based on his complicated personal standards, but standing in the living room in the third and final option, he stays quiet. Nelson watches Gavin walk around the room and bend in closer to examine the windows, and the countertop for the kitchen, and the actual cabinets. It’s nothing big; a lot of Gavin’s things will have to go into storage or stay in his family home, but Nelson can see Gavin being comfortable in this space.

 

“I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t expect you to look.”

 

“There’s only one bedroom,” Gavin pointedly ignores Nelson’s comment. “And that window is facing the north, so the lighting is piss poor at fucking best, but,” Nelson smiles. He’s rather pleased with his success of meeting Gavin’s lofty standards for a living space, “it’s doable.”

 

“And, bonus, close to Hooli, _and_ that market thing with the fruit.”

 

“I didn’t know that,” Gavin admits. It’s a rare moment, Gavin admitting he doesn’t know everything without trying to explain _why_ the school system or his family or society in general has failed him.

 

“And you can always move again.” And Nelson knows he will, probably the moment he has a chance. “It’s like a stepping stone place. Baby steps.”

 

Gavin walks over to the window. “You’re actually going home.”

 

Nelson walks over and rests his head on Gavin’s shoulder. “Yeah, don’t really have a choice, but I need to get back.”

 

-

 

Later, after a quiet dinner and a movie Nelson sort of paid attention to, but Gavin definitely ignored in favor of pouting quietly, Gavin and Nelson lounge on Gavin’s bed while a Queen album filled the silence. Nelson doesn’t know what to say, because he doesn’t want to bring up leaving again when Gavin’s already in a terrible mood, and because Gavin would try to convince him to stay. He wouldn’t be so upset if he didn’t want Nelson to stick around.

 

They end up settling on sex, because of course they do, because even as quiet and domestic Nelson’s life is in the present, he and Gavin’s sex life certainly isn’t lacking. Nelson finds himself feeling very content with the way things are in 1991, and how much Gavin’s mood has improved since he first woke up next to this weird, young, scrawny Backstreet Boy hair cut Gavin he’s grown fond of; and he’s loved to see the little slivers of present Gavin as they start to show through the ‘good straight Catholic son’ persona Gavin’s had to play for years.

 

“You know, for a strange, gluttonous, lazy person, you’re definitely not the _worst_ company I’ve ever kept.” What a stunning complement. Nelson’s heart may stop. “Does your future ever have California in it?”

 

Oh here they go. “Yeah, but I don’t think it’s very likely, not right away. I’ll keep an eye out for Hooli when I come back though.”

 

“If it succeeds.”

 

“ _When_ it’s a hotshot company I’ll buy you dinner. Super fancy shit too. The best fruit there is.”

 

Gavin chuffs. “What, you’ll special order some hybrid or something?”

 

“I’ll figure it out. Got time.” He stretches. “You know, there was this one time, okay, so,” Nelson sits up, because he’s intent on telling this dumb story right. “So, one of my friends gets a fucking _stripper_ , and I’m like, ‘well fuck I’m super lonely and this person’s paying attention to me’ and a blurt out, jesus it’s so embarrassing, but I go, ‘I think I love you’ or something,” Gavin starts laughing, “I did! And it’s fucking humiliating. I’d known her for like, five minutes.”

 

“A _stripper_?”

 

“Oh yeah. A stipper in _someone’s house_. It was terrible.”

 

“And you said you loved her?”

 

“Yeah. It was more like, I was desperate for some attention, and yeah. Rough year. What can you do?” He flops back down. “I never told my friends the truth; told them some bullshit about ‘I could potentially fall in love’ or whatever. But love’s this like, it’s so confusing and hit or miss with me. But hey, if I can figure it out, then you definitely can.”

 

He didn’t really expect that story to have a moral in there, but he’s surprised himself before.

 

“Is this one of those things you’re just cheerleadering, or do you actually believe that?”

 

“Dude, I _know_ it.”

 

“Okay.” Gavin’s quiet again. “Why the _fuck_ do you think Neil Patrick Harris is gay?”

 

Nelson can’t help it, he starts laughing hard enough that he’s nearly crying. Gavin shoves him, and Nelson sputters, “I just,” he wipes his eyes, but he can’t get enough air to calm himself down.”

 

“What’s so funny!”

 

“I’ll-” he wheezes, because he can’t believe he’s going to say this, it’s so fucking terrible, but he can’t help it now, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

 

 


	9. Epilogue

Nelson wakes up slow, with the warmth of the room and a soft, down comforter making it very tempting to just roll over and go back to sleep for a couple more hours. He doesn’t remember hearing an alarm, or smacking his clock, so he doubts he’s late for work. The soft sounds from a distant storm make extra sleep all the more tempting, and when the lightning lights up the giant picture window Nelson closes his eyes and bundles up in the rest of the blankets.

 

His phone charms on the bedside table, and Nelson groans. He does not like having to think hard this early in the morning, but he told Hooli they could call after seven (Mostly because Gavin is there to answer, and he can “field” Nelson’s thoughts to them: i.e. he tells them how to fix their early morning problem and runs a hand through Nelson hair until he’s back to sleep.) and he reaches over and fumbles around until he finds his glasses and his phone.

 

Nelson slips on the glasses and squints up at his bright screen and taps the small envelope, frowning at a text reminder to schedule his eye appointment soon. Six really is too early for this kind of silly reminder.

 

He’s set his phone back on the table and tossed his glasses beside them, and it isn’t until he’s fully settled back in and closed his eyes that he snaps up into a seated position and looks around at the master bedroom in Berkeley.

 

“Holy shit,” he’s actually _home_. Nelson reaches out to his side and pats at the bed, but finds it empty.

 

Gavin wakes up at like, five in the morning. He’s probably just up already. And maybe he’s at the yoga studio, or just finishing up some breakfast for himself. Nelson didn’t screw up the timeline. He’s here with Gavin in their house, and everything is the way it should be, just like it was before he went back.

 

He forces himself to lie down and clutch the second pillow (Gavin’s pillow.) to his chest. But it doesn’t smell familiar; it just smells like soap.

 

Maybe he _did_ mess up something in the timeline.

 

He tosses back the blankets and walks out of the room and down the hall. From upstairs on the balcony overlooking the two story windows Nelson can see someone in the kitchen (He’s not confident enough to say it’s Gavin, although they are decidedly male.) and hurries down the stairs, stumbling as he reaches the first floor and shuffle-sprinting over to the stove, where lo and behold, Gavin is busy manning a pan with some pancakes, presumably for Nelson because the milk on the counter isn’t vegan friendly.

 

Nelson throws caution to the wind and slips behind Gavin, wrapping his arms around his middle and hiding his face in Gavin’s vest. The first thing Gavin tells him is, “I’m surprised you’re up _before_ the sun, although if you smelled the pancakes I suppose that makes sense.”

 

And it’s so damn refreshing to hear the fond note in Gavin’s voice, to feel one of Gavin’s hands pat his affectionately before returning to the stove, and Nelson breaks down from the sheer familiarity he’s returned to after eight long days away from home. A hand tugs at his shirt and Nelson moves so he’s against Gavin’s front, and takes a peek long enough to see Gavin still managing to make him breakfast while his other arm wraps around Nelson’s shoulders.

 

Gavin doesn’t ask; he knows some days just being awake is an ordeal, and he’s very patient with Nelson and when Gavin offers him a plate of buttermilk pancakes and some orange juice he agrees, but with the qualifiers of Gavin sitting beside him and the request that they not go into the office today. Nelson doesn’t _think_ he’s using his sad animal face, but the speed in which Gavin complies to his requests makes him think otherwise.

 

Nelson doesn’t try very hard, but so far he doesn’t see anything to suggest that A) time was passing while he was gone and B) that anything major in his life has changed because of the things he did in the past. A quick search on Hooli reveals those first five companies they backed, and between that and returning to the house in Berkeley, and to Gavin and Gummy and Pete, are enough to make Nelson content with the work he did in 1991.

 

“Do you want to have the therapist come here?” Gavin’s offering to jump through fiscal hoops to help Nelson stay in his comfort zone but also provide anything he could ever want; he’s so thankful he didn’t screw this up. Nelson burrows his way between Gavin and the couch instead of answering, intent on napping against Gavin’s chest if he doesn’t put up any sort of fight. Almost immediately Gavin starts petting his hair and twirling some of the longer curls, probably messing up his already crazy bedhead.

 

He missed this so much.

 

After an hour nap against Gavin Nelson is feeling _slightly_ more human, enough that he agrees to let Gavin teleconference into the office for a couple hours to get the Nucleus team to finally give him concrete progress reports on the new features. He uses the time to wander around the house and feed the tortoises some kale, which Pete, as usual, snubs until Nelson throws a pansy flower on top.

 

“You’re lucky Gavin spoils you or you wouldn’t get the flower,” Nelson scolds Pete, who eats the flower and ignores the kale. “Don’t give me that you’re not getting anything else today. There’s a schedule dude.”

 

Gummy, or the first child as Nelson has come to think of him as, has already eaten half of his kale. “You gotta talk to Pete, Gums, he doesn’t listen to me.”

 

Gummy ignores him in favor of eating until there’s nothing left, then he reaches up towards Nelson in a familiar ‘where’s the food?’ sort of way Nelson gets to see every morning. He tosses in a flower after some head rubs and leaves the terrarium room in favor of hunting down his own mid-morning snack.

 

There’s one of those dumb gross not sweet bananas on the counter, and Nelson eyes it warily while he grabs one of the pancakes he didn’t get to before taking his nap. He walks down the hall and out the back door closest to their personal arcade; if Gavin’s going to take the time to _actually_ work some today then Nelson needs to entertain himself until he’s done.

 

He goes to Galaga; no matter what time period he’s in Nelson will always be drawn to that game. He grabs a quarter from the dispenser on the wall and pops it into the machine.

 

Whoever asshole got the high score is going down.

 

Nelson dies on the first level. Clearly, even though they sound fun, arcade games are not Nelson’s thing today. He watches the scores scroll up, and has to do a double take when the initials NEL are at the top.

 

He never used to make any note about NEL, Gavin purchased all his machines used from arcades and leaves the scores on them as a personal goal, but he remembers a machine back in 1991, in an arcade near the Belson mansion, and a rare moment of ability that got him the very high score on Gavin’s Galaga machine.

 

“That’s kind of cool.”

 

He’s kind of curious if he’ll recognize other things from 1991 if he looks hard enough. Nelson abandons his plan to play Galaga in favor of snooping through his own house.

 

The only notable ‘I did this in the future’ thing Nelson finds is the arcade game, aside from the whole the-present-is-intact-because-of-him thing, but he does find a few things Gavin has kept in his possession since that time. On a far wall of the room with Gavin’s guitars Nelson finds that damn soup can poster Pete gave Gavin decades ago, still in decent condition, but with a nicer frame than Gavin used in the past.

 

Briefly he considers checking for the photo, but realizes that in order to put it in the nicer frame Gavin _has_ to of seen the photo, or at least been handed the photo by whoever he got to do the work for him. Plus, Gavin presumably moved shortly after Nelson left, which mean packing (Not Gavin packing his things, but someone packing up Gavin’s things that he wanted to take along.) and again, someone would’ve seen the photo.

 

He’s going to be disappointed if he doesn’t find it anywhere in the house.

 

But it’s Gavin’s photo, and if he’s decided to throw it into the garbage and forget about it there isn’t much Nelson can do to fix that.

 

His current priority however, is seeing if Gavin has any plans for lunch. Or maybe it’s too early for lunch and Nelson can have some brunch. Or a pre-lunch snack. Or both, if he’s honest with himself; he’s missed the easy access to snack food and extra meals.

 

Gavin is on the phone when Nelson gets into his office; he’s looking very done with the whole Nucleus team, and after a distressed huff and rubbing his eyes he motions Nelson over. The chair is large enough for the two of them (That’s _not_ the reason they bought it if you ask Gavin, but if you ask Nelson it’s probably the main reason.) and Nelson settles so he’s half on Gavin’s lap and comfortably nestled in against Gavin’s shoulder.

 

“No, I don’t want to know about _half done_ projects. I want done, or not done. Is that so fucking complicated?” Nelson has a feeling he’s trying to get the team to admit they aren’t finished with everything they wanted to complete before the deadline, but wheedling out a yes or no from a bunch of brogrammers that don’t want to get fired is like pulling teeth. At least Nelson’s XYZ team gets things done when they actually have a goal to complete. “Just tell me, yes or no, is everything completed?”

 

The groan from Gavin tells Nelson a couple things; Gavin is going to have a few late nights of catch up and he’s probably going to need a lot of home comforts to decompress from their botched deadline. He kisses Gavin’s cheek and Gavin relaxes a fraction, some of the tension easing out of his shoulders and, added bonus, making him a better pillow for the nap that Nelson didn’t plan, but can already feel tugging at the edges of his awareness.

 

As he starts to drift off Nelson spots a familiar small Buddhist statue paperweight sitting on the corner of Gavin’s desk. And right next to the photo of him and Gavin (A nice tasteful photo from one of the banquets they went to, even though Nelson offered to take a less serious selfie together when they went to the zoo and Gavin was gushing at the jaguars.) he spots the photo of Gavin and Peter.

 

“Where was that taken?” Nelson points to the photo, interrupting Gavin mid-rant.

 

“That old thing?" Gavin puts his phone call on hold. "That’s the first office space Peter and I had.” Gavin pulls it closer and points to the puny space that only had one main room with a bunch of work spaces and shelves. “It was smaller than your office now.”

 

“A startup place, right?”

 

“As much as Richard likes to whine about me being _wrong_ and _over-exaggerating_ , we are a lot alike, evident by this crappy building, the innovations...”

 

Nelson nods. “Your sensitive as fuck stomachs when you’re stressed?”

 

“Yes? But that was...” Gavin shakes his head. “Anyway, Nucleus is trying to have a fucking meltdown without me there to hold their fucking hands. I think a surprise ‘evaluation’ by the CIO would help push things along. ” Gavin pauses. “If you’re feeling up to it, of course.”

 

He’s still CIO, still has tortoises, and based on the ring he grabbed off the counter in the bathroom earlier, he’s still getting married. Nelson’s still low key worried about maybe having fucked something else up about the present, but based on what he’s seen so far, he wouldn’t change a thing.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really expect this to break 10,000 words let alone 40,000 but here we go.


End file.
